Elementalist
by bratzluvr97
Summary: Ever since Bella could remember, she could control liquids. Call it witch craft, nature's gift, or impossible, Bella has named herself an Elementalist. No one knows about her powers, not even her family. And then the Cullens show up. R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Twilight, but if I did, there'd be a rule banning shirts. ;)**

BPOV

I bit my lip nervously as I headed out the door on my way to Fork's High. The new kids-The Cullens- were supposed to be arriving today. In such a small town, everyone was excited for some change. Honestly, I felt bad for them. I was new here two years ago, and it had not been a fun experience. People stared, whispered, and made up rumors about you that spread worse than a wildfire in North Carolina during the summer.

Jessica's mom told Jessica, who told me, that there were two girls and three guys. Apparently, Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme adopted five kids because of Esme's inability to have children. Jess acted as if that made them snotty or something. I personally thought that it was very generous of the young couple to do so.

By the time I got to the parking lot, it was half full and everyone was still waiting for a new car to show up. I parked in my regular spot and made my way to the back of my truck to check if I had any homework I forgot to do. As I sat on the edge of the bed, I pulled out a water bottle and gulped it down nervously before making sure the morning hours wasn't making me weak, as it normally did at the beginning of the week.

I _really_ wasn't a morning person.

I did my daily routine of checking for puddles underneath my truck where no one else could see and repeatedly froze and unfroze the water by just a twitch of my hand.

Satisfied, I casually looked at the ground and carefully pummeled the rocks into a fine powder by moving my foot side to side in a bored manner.

During my 'exercise', I hadn't noticed the shiny silver Volvo enter the parking lot and its five occupants until I looked up.

I felt my eyes widen and heard my gasp as I noticed the incredibly beautiful people just short of twenty feet away from me.

Immediately, I noticed the females. The short, pixie-like brunette looked to be shorter than me by quite a few inches with grace that would put any ballerina to shame. As for the blonde, with her long blonde hair and generous curves, I felt my self confidence drop as long as all the other girls within a mile.

The boy who was holding hands with the brunette look as if he were in pain under those shaggy locks of honey blonde hair and his lanky and tall frame. The wrestler look-a-like who had his arm wrapped around the blonde's waist seemed to be his polar opposite. While as, the other boy looked like he was grimacing, this one was grinning as if he had just won the Olympics. From what I could tell, he had dimples, curly close cut dark brown hair, and _massive_ arms. He really did look like a giant.

The last one was bless fully model free as I saw him exit the car last. He had unruly red gold hair that stuck up in every which way on his head, a chiseled jaw, and a lanky, but toned body. As I paid more attention to his face, he looked like the youngest.

The instant my eyes laid on them, my instincts screamed at me to get away, to get _far, far_ away. Something about them just screamed 'wrong' or 'unnatural'.

I decided to investigate further later and jumped down as the bell rang, trying to avoid getting my jeans wet by stepping into a puddle, but without success.

I groaned softly as I saw the giant wet spot on my thighs.

Making sure that no one was looking at me, I made the water slowly evaporate by wiggling my fingers and resumed walking to English. During my little cover-up, I forgot to put up the thing on the bed of my truck, so I turned around quickly just to walk right into a stone wall. A very good smelling stone wall. A wall that smelled almost _too_ good.

I stumbled back, confused, only to face a dark blue clothed chest. Looking up, I realized that I had just walked right into one of the Cullens-the bronze-haired boy.

Up close, he was even more handsome than I could have imagined. He had a perfectly sculpted nose, high cheekbones, a very sharp angular jaw line, and the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. They were a deep topaz color surrounded by long thick lashes.

Realizing that I was staring, I decided to introduce myself.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan." I smiled and waited for his response

"Edward Cullen. Where are you headed? The bell just rang…" Edward asked, clearly confused as his eyebrows furrowed together adorably.

"Well, I forgot to do something, but I see that it can wait, considering that I'm gonna be late any minute now…Oh, how rude of me! Do you need any help with getting around? I know it seems really small, but for some reason the buildings that are numbered aren't located near each other in chronological order…" I said, again, wanting to come off as polite.

"…Here comes my sister Alice." He stated, clearly annoyed at the interruption. I stared at him, confused.

Just then, the pixie skipped up to his side.

"Well, hello to you, too." Alice giggled. Her voice was like bells, high pitched and tinkling.

Alice had a very small body, but no less feminine than the blonde. She reached to just about my shoulder with a small heart shaped face and very delicate features. I noticed that she, too, had topaz colored eyes. Strange.

"I'm sorry Bella, but if you don't mind, I'd like Edward to come with me to pick up my schedule in the office." She gave me an apologetic gaze and looked at Edward, who was glaring at her. They seemed to have a silent discussion until Edward sighed and turned to me.

"I do apologize. I'll see you later." He nodded and walked with Alice towards the office building before I had a chance to say bye.

I huffed and walked to building three, no longer worried about my truck.

By the time lunch had rolled around, the whole school knew about the Cullens.

They were all adopted. Rosalie and Jasper Hale are the blonde twins and the big guy was Emmett. I already knew they were paired off, but everyone else found it creepy and couldn't decide if it was legal or not.

While the boys tried pathetically to win the girls over, the female population was trying desperately to get Edward's attention. Other than me, of course.

Angela and I reached the cafeteria to find that the table we normally sat at was full of jocks who were planning to recruit the boys for the football team while all the 'popular' girls were either sharing there experiences with Edward or plotting of how to get him.

We bought lunch and headed to an empty table instead, not at all bothered by the occupied table. In fact, we were relieved to finally have an excuse to leave that hell-hole.

Angela and I sat in a comfortable silence while I read _Wuthering Heights_ and she finished her Biology homework.

"Hello. May we sit here?" a familiar velvet voice asked.

Angela looked up, widened her eyes and the looked at me.

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded for Edward and Alice to sit down.

I looked back at Angela and blinked, not knowing what to say to the inhumanly beautiful people seated across from us. When I looked back, Alice was trying hard not to laugh at Edward who was eyeing my book with mild disgust.

I mock glared at him, which caused his eyes to meet mine.

"Do you have something against _Wuthering Heights_, Mr. Cullen?" I asked in a hard voice with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing, it's just, it looks very worn..How many times have you read it?" He asked.

Angela laughed and answered for me, "Oh, just about a million times! I swear, every time I see her reading something that's not on the reading list in English, she's reading about Heath cliff and Catherine."

"Gee thanks, Ang." I said, pursing my lips. Edward noticed the action and seemed to be amused by it, although his eyes lingered on my lips long enough for me to notice.

"So, what classes do you guys have next?" Angela asked, thankfully changing the subject.

Alice answered for both of them. "I have History, but Edward has Biology." I swear she had a knowing look in her eyes.

"Angela and I have Biology next, also." I said. Just now realizing that there are three more in there family, I asked, "Hey, where're your siblings?"

"They didn't say where they'd be." Edward shrugged, but his eyes conveyed that he was a little worried.

The bell rang and we all headed to our respective classes, but not before I could notice that neither Cullen even touched their bought food. I saved that thought for later and headed to my empty lab desk.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, you shall be sitting next to Bella over there by the window."

My head snapped up from my pointless doodling to the sound of my name. Edward started to walk over to where I was seated, so I hurriedly moved my books.

Mr. Banner continued his lecture from yesterday before Edward could even reach my-_our_- table. Ironically enough, we were talking about the water cycle this week.

As Mr. Banner's lectures droned on and on, I struggled not to fall asleep. That would be bad.

As an attempt not to fall asleep, I started to fidget with my ring. My ring was on my right hand on my index finger. It was gold and looked like it had vines that intertwined with each other with a stone on each vine. One was a Sapphire that represented my birthstone, another was an Emerald to represent the earth, and the final one was a sparkling blue topaz representing water.**

Edward noticed and seemed to stare at it for a good minute before I passed a sheet of paper to him inconspicuously.

**It's a family heirloom. My father's great-great-great-great-great- grandfather made it especially for the next Swan daughter. Took a while, but it finally made it after 100 some years.**

His eyes widened, at what I don't know before he quickly scribbled something down before passing it back.

_It took _that_ long to finally achieve a baby girl? I'm surprised it wasn't lost._

I smirked before crumpling the paper and shoving it into my backpack.

Thankfully, the bell rang, causing students to jolt awake and mechanically file out of the classroom.

The rest of the day had passed like a blur and soon I found myself at home making Charlie dinner.

After preparing the steak, I decided to head out back and into the forest to do my exercises.

I looked around for the familiar clearing where there would be enough space for me to start.

When I got there, something felt … off.

As I looked around, I saw why. There were strange claw-like marks on the trees surrounding the meadow, flattened grass all around me, and a tree was even laying on the forest floor as if it had been forcefully pushed down.

Forgetting my warm-ups I quickly restored the nature around me by reviving the trees and its damage and making the grass look as if it had never been touched.

I quickly surveyed the area around me for any more signs of disturbance, when I saw a path made of broken twigs and matted grass. Realizing it was probably from someone running or walking very fast, I naturally followed it, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

After about a mile, I came to a very large white Victorian house with what looked to be three stories. There were separate smaller buildings which I presumed were the garages and a very long, winding drive way.

None of these made me want to head back.

What caused me to head back as fast as I possibly could was that there was a shiny, silver, Volvo parking in front of the mansion.

The _Cullen _mansion.

I was so desperate to leave I ended up sitting on a boulder cross-legged while managing to levitate my way back to my own back yard, unscathed.

By the time I came stumbling into the kitchen, I was panting as if I had been running a marathon and grabbed my water bottle that was sticking out of my bag and chugged it down before things could get out of control. After my bottle was empty, I still felt pretty flushed so I turned the sink on and naturally it flowed towards me as I absorbed it like a sponge. I could practically feel my eyes turning into the usual bright, clear blue they did every time I used my 'ability'.

I placed the prepared steaks into the oven and started working on the potatoes so that Charlie wouldn't have to wait long for a hot dinner.

After a relaxing and invigorating shower, I was ready to go to sleep. I made sure that the cup of water on my bedside table was made of plastic. I shuddered as I remembered the last time I put a glass cup there.

A few hours earlier I had checked the weather and it was supposed to rain tonight, so I left the window wide open.

I slowly fell into a deep sleep as I felt the slow steady rhythm of the rain hydrate my body.

I woke up in the morning with a headache so bad I felt the need to punch the next person who talked to me. As I retrieved my toiletries, I noticed why I feel so bad.

My window was closed.

I knew for sure that I had opened it, and no way in hell did Charlie close it…

I couldn't come up with a plausible excuse as to why or how my window could've closed without my doing of so. It couldn't have just fell shut because I made sure to lock it in place, like I do every night. I definitely didn't shut it because it rained last night, and even if Charlie had woke up in the middle of the night, opened the door to my room, noticed that my window was open, he would've _surely_ noticed the rain coming through it and into my body instead of the fact that it was open.

When I was downstairs for breakfast, Charlie saw my grumpy expression and simply waved goodbye. I had to smile at how perceptive my dad was of my 'moods', although it never had anything to do with my period. At least, not since I was thirteen.

I looked at the clock and noticed that I had ten more minutes until English started and ran out to my truck. As I stepped on my porch, I immediately smiled.

The grounds were covered in ice!

I had always loved the ice because, to me, it made everything that much more interesting. Especially when you could manipulate the ice so that you could never slide, trip, or fall whenever you were on it.

Already, my day was getting better. In the parking lot, I noticed that everyone was walking around as if the ground were about to break open at any second. Little did they know that I could arrange that for them…

I pushed the thought away and reveled in the fact that the whole day today would be an exercise.

I was a little surprised this morning when my truck didn't slide at all. I walked around to the back of my truck to inspect the tires when I noticed the snow chains on them. I felt a deep feeling of love in me when I thought of how early Charlie had to get up to put those on for me.

Just as that thought passed through my mind, a loud screeching made me spin around to face what would seem to be my _real_ challenge of the day.

A dark blue van was skidding my way, and fast. I quickly thought of a solution and before it could touch me, I flexed my hands and caused the iced in the path of the van to melt instantly, but found that that had only delayed it by causing the vehicle to spin wildly out of control, hitting the corner of a Sedan two spots away as it headed towards me yet _again_.

I cursed every tire company I could think of in .78 seconds and tapped my feet lightly twice, which caused various small forms of plants to sprout up and slow it down to an almost halt, but before I could even take another breath, I was knocked down from my side by a blur of white and in a matter of seconds, I was on the cold hard pavement with Edward Cullen practically on top of me mirroring my gaze of amazement, wonder, and suspicion.

He saw. I don't know how, but his eyes conveyed that he had seen too much, that he had physically _seen_ the ice melt and then the small plants sprout up.

I, on the other hand, had seen quite a lot, also. I knew that he was at least seven spaces away from me and that there was _no way_ he could've reached me in that amount of time.

Our gaze was broken by a scream to call nine-one-one and then Edward was slowly jogging away.

No matter how much I refused, they still made me wear the damned neck brace. I literally walked into the back of the ambulance, pissing them off profusely, and waited for the paramedics to come in as well. Across from me sat a very blank faced Edward Cullen.

After a very awkward and tense trip to Forks Hospital, Edward disappeared while I had to be 'shipped' into the building, much to my dismay.

I was lead to a hospital bed next to a very bloody Tyler Crowley.

"I am so sorry, Bella, I didn't mean to-"

"Hey, hey, it's alright. It's, a, uh, good thing that Edward saved me." I stated, awkwardly.

"Edward? I didn't see him.." Tyler mumbled

As if he heard his name, Edward appeared right as I muttered something along the lines of 'that makes two of us'.

"Why didn't they strap you down too?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Edward grinned and simply said, "It's all about who you know. Which, is why you'll thank me later. I'm here to spring you out."

Just then, a handsome doctor who looked to be around the age of 27 came into the room. I assumed he was Carlisle Cullen, from the paleness of his skin and his inhuman good looks.

He walked up to my bed and briefly looked at the clipboard before coming closer to inspect my head.

His fingers were cold and hard as they probed around my head for any obvious bumps. Having been satisfied, he concluded, "Well, you look to be just fine, but if you feel any pain or have any trouble with your vision just come back and see me alright?"

I nodded and asked, "Does this mean that I'm not going to school?" at Carlisle's shake of the head, I continued, "Then why does he get to go?" nodding my head towards Edward.

"Someone has to spread the word that we survived." There was that damned crooked grin again.

"Well, it seems that-"

Charlie ran in, interrupting Carlisle as he rapidly asked me general questions of being in any pain.

"Does yor head hurt? Are you in _any_ pain? Who did this? Do I have to kill him?"

Just as he asked that last question, Tyler stuck his head out and began to apologize profusely.

"I didn't mean to, it was the ice, and it-"

Charlie quickly pulled the curtain to separate the beds, effectively silencing him. "We're going home. Why don't you wait in the car while I sign the rest of the paperwork?"

I agreed and headed down the hallway to the exit when I felt his presence. I stopped and turned around to face a startled Edward.

"How did you do that?" Immediately his face hardened and his lips pressed together.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was standing next to you, Bella."

"No you weren't. Tyler didn't see you either so don't try to play this off as a little hallucination of mine, because it isn't. Now, how did you get to me so fast?" I asked once again.

"Why do you care?" He asked rather harshly.

"I'd like to know why I'm lying for you." I retorted, just as harshly.

"You have some questions to answer, also, Bella."

I narrowed my eyes as I said, "No, I don't. You can't prove anything, even if I did anyways."

"What are you hiding?" He asked rather bluntly.

"Don't you think that if I'm hiding something it'd be for a reason?" I pronounced the last words with emphasis.

**FINALLY, right? Lol, remember to review!**

**-Hang, and this time with the MAJOR help of Tiffany!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-I own nothing Twilight, but I wish every year on my birthday that I did.**

BPOV

The days following the accident were…tense, to say the least. Edward and I never talked unless we had to, but I still saw the suspicious and calculating glances he gave me when he thought I wasn't looking.

The worst part was that I couldn't do anything too powerful related to water or earth. I had a feeling that the Cullens could at least notice my eyes changing from a dark brown to a bright blue or a swirling hazel.

I could practically _feel _Edward's steely gaze everyday on my back as I got in the classroom for Biology. Then, to make it worse, Mike would sit on the edge of the table, talking as if I were listening. I 'hmmmed' and 'oh'ed at the appropriate moments, but we all knew I wasn't listening at all.

Even Edward noticed my lack of participation in conversation the first few days, and seemed wildly amused by it. Mike however, didn't find it nearly as amusing and seemed to try even harder to get my attention, no matter how many times I politely rejected him or tried to tell him that I didn't see him like that.

Jessica noticed the extra attention that Mike was giving me and started glaring at me whenever possible, as if I was purposely begging Mike to talk to me twenty four hours a day.

Prom was coming up, and Mike, being the ever persistent guy, asked me for at least the third time that month.

"Mike, I really don't dance. And, what about Jessica? I'm sure she was hoping for you to ask her." I tried pathetically to veer his attention off of me and to someone who really deserved it.

He looked confused for a minute before hesitantly asking, "Jessica? What does she have to do with anything?"

Okay, this boy's stupidity and cluelessness was starting to anger me. Couldn't he see that I didn't like him and Jessica did?

Just as I was about to tell him off, Edward came over and placed his hand on my lower back. He leaned closer to my ear and my heart beat increased rapidly as he quickly whispered, "I'm trying to help, play along." He pulled away and gave Mike the 'boyfriend' look before turning his back to him and stared pleadingly into my eyes as he said, "I'll see you tonight at my house." Before kissing the top of my head and walking over to his Volvo.

I walked away from a shell shocked Mike and headed for my car. Once inside, I freely laughed as hard as I pleased at how easily Edward and I had deceived Mike.

As I was pulling out, I could've sworn I saw Edward grinning.

The next day, I was less wound up than I was before, now that Edward seemed to be speaking to me. I was doing my morning routine that I did before the tension between me and Edward happened when I accidentally dropped my keys, in a puddle.

I quickly evaporated the small puddle when a pair of pale hands beat me to the punch. I stopped so that my eyes could turn back to the normal brown again before slowly straightening back up.

Edward was holding my keys in one hand held out in front of me, smiling in an almost apologetic way. I smiled back, took my keys and silently gestured for him to follow me as we head to building three, His long legs slowed down enough so that we were walking in step next to each other when I finally spoke first.

"I assume that after yesterday, you're talking to me again?"

"I never meant to hurt your feelings if that's what you're getting at. I just, I don't think I should be your friend-"

"Then it's a good thing it's not up to just you." I said, cutting him off before I could hear anything else.

"If you had let me finish, I was going to say that it's a good thing I just can't stay away from you anymore." He finished, staring deeply into my eyes as he softly stated the last part.

My breath hitched as I gazed into his dark gold eyes. My heart rate increased and my breathing was getting shorter as we started leaning towards each other.

Then the bell rang.

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks and awkwardly said something like 'See you later?' before heading into English, mortified at how he must think of me now.

Evidently, four whole classes can pass by in a blur when you spent the morning staring into the most hypnotic eyes you've ever seen. Today, Angela sat at the table we sat at yesterday, along with Edward, Alice, and an overloaded tray, probably for us to share.

I sat down next to Angela and smiled gratefully at her before I took an apple. Once again, I noticed that Edward and Alice only seemed to pick at their food instead of actually eating it.

My eyes flickered from the tray of food to Edward's face before raising my eyebrow at him. He noticed the movement and simply stated, "My family is vegan."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I asked, "What about fruit, then? Can't you eat fruit?"

Alice nodded and said, "Yes, but we normally eat a lot in the mornings and the fruit and vegetables are filled with pesticides." Wrinkling her nose in disgust.

I shrugged, but didn't let up.

"Are you sure you're not going to eat something Edward? Men tend to be crabbier when they're hungry." This caused Alice and Angela to erupt in a fit of giggles.

He narrowed his eyes at me, and, much to my shock and surprise, snatched my apple and took a huge bite before putting it right back into my hand, smirking as he chewed.

I huffed and continued eating while we mock glared at each other.

For the rest of the bell, Angela and Alice talked about places to go dress shopping in Seattle.

I got up to go to Biology, but Edward stayed put.

"Aren't you going to Biology?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.

He simply shrugged, "It's healthy to ditch class every once in a while."

I raised my eyebrows but continued to class anyway. As I noticed the boxes on Mr. Banner's desk with the Red Cross labeled on the side, I had a dreading feeling that Edward was right.

As clumsy as I am and how many times I've cut myself, it's kind of surprising that I can't stand the smell of blood. Most humans don't smell anything, but to me it smells like iron and salt. If I smell or see too much of the vile red liquid, I will definitely pass out. Or vomit.

Or worse, vomit and then pass out.

I felt myself pale when the teacher pulled out the packets of needles, glass slides, and cotton balls. I felt green by the time Mike had started passing the things out. I laid my head on the table and breathed deeply.

"Bella, are you alright? Would you like to go to the nurse?" Apparently, Mr. Banner noticed my queasiness.

"I'll take her!" Of course, I should've known that Mike would be the first to volunteer.

A minute later, I was walking down the hall leaning heavily on an overeager Mike. Once we were a good fifteen feet away from the door, I stopped and laid down on the sidewalk, pressing my face into the freezing dampness of the ground. It seemed to help a little.

A horribly familiar voice called from down the distance.

"Bella?" Rapid footsteps pounded lightly as he got closer.

"What's wrong-is she hurt?" Yep, he was definitely closer now, and he sounded concerned.

"We were blood typing in Biology. She didn't even prick her finger. I'm supposed to take her to the nurse, but she won't move. I think she's fainted. "

"Bella." Edwards voice was right beside me now. "Can you hear me?"

"No." I groaned. "Go away." I made some sort of 'shooing' hand motion.

He chuckled.

"You can go back to class, Mike. I'll take her." I could still hear the smile in his voice.

"No." Mike protested. "I'm supposed to do it."

Suddenly the sidewalk disappeared from beneath me. My eyes flew open in shock. Edward had picked my up bridal style, as if I weighed ten pounds instead of a hundred and ten.

"Please put me down!" I prayed that I wouldn't vomit on this beautiful boy.

I could hear Mike shouting from ten paces away already.

Edward ignored him and commented, grinning, "You look awful."

"Put me on the ground." I moaned. The rocking motion really didn't help.

"You get faint at the sight of blood? And not even your own…"

"Not the sight of it makes me sick, although it is slightly disturbing. It's the smell."

He retorted with, "Humans can't smell blood." Why did it sound like that didn't include him?

"Who ever said I was normal?" I said, just as we entered the clinic. I looked up and saw the nurse's startled face as Edward laid me onto the bed.

"She's just a little faint. There blood typing in Biology."

The nurse nodded sagely," There's always one."

He tried miserably to hide a snicker.

"Just lie down for a minute, honey. It'll pass soon."

"I know." I sighed. It was already fading.

"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.

"Sometimes," I admitted. Edward tried to hide his laughter in a cough.

"You can go back to class now, dear." She told Edward.

"I'm supposed to stay with her." He said it with such authority that the nurse didn't argue any further.

"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear." She said to me, bustling out into another room.

I closed my eyes and moaned, "You were right."

"Generally, yes, but what about this time?"

"Ditching _is_ healthy." I practiced breathing evenly.

"You know, you scared me for a minute there. I thought Newton was dragging your dead body into the woods somewhere." He sounded as if he were confessing a humiliating weakness.

"Ha-ha."

"Honestly-I've seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder."

"I bet Mike's mad." I was starting to feel normal again.

"He absolutely loathes me." Edward said cheerfully.

Just then the nurse came in with a cold compress.

I stood up, stating that I was fine and didn't need to lie down just as the door opened and Ms. Cope came in, warning about another student. I saw out of the corner of my eye Edward holding his breath.

Immediately he said, "Bella, just trust me and get out."

Not wanting to be in a small room with fresh blood, I followed his orders and stood in front of the bench outside.

"I really don't want to go to gym right now..." I groaned.

I didn't realize that Edward was so close to me until he whispered in my ear, "Sit down and look pale."

Easy enough. I was generally pale, but after smelling all that blood, I was positively scary looking. I leaned my head back on the wall and closed my eyes. I strained to hear what Edward was telling the nurse through the door.

"Ms. Cope, would you mind writing Bella a pass for Gym? I don't think she feels up to it. In fact, I was thinking of taking her home."

"Do you need a pass, sweetheart?"

"No, I have Mrs. Goff, she won't mind."

"Alright, then. It's all done. You feel better, Bella!" She called out to me. I nodded weakly.

I opened my eyes and saw Edward standing in front of me, his expression sarcastic.

"Can you walk, or should I carry you again?"

I stood up and huffed.

"I'll walk."

We exited the building, and for once, I was thankful of the permanent mist here. My skin absorbed the light rain coming down, and I closed my eyes so that Edward couldn't see my blue eyes.

I headed toward my truck, but Edward pulled my jacket, causing me to halt. I stared questioningly at him.

"Didn't you hear my promise to drive you home?" He asked.

I calculated my chances of getting away, but finally resigned, following him to his Volvo.

I had planned to give him the silent treatment, pouted lips and all, when he turned on one of my favorites.

"Claire De Lune?" I asked, shocked.

"You know Debussy?" He seemed just as surprised.

"My mom plays classical music around the house all the time; I only remember my favorites."

"It's one of my favorites, too." Edward said, staring into the rain. I looked out the window and vaguely noticed how the trees passed in a blur.

"Tell me about your mother." He blurted suddenly.

I looked at him, shocked, before taking a deep breath.

"She looks exactly like me, but prettier." He raised his eyebrows but didn't interrupt. "I've got too much Charlie in me. She's very eccentric, follows her guts instead of her brain. She's more outgoing than I am, braver. Very irresponsible and an unpredictable cook, also. She's my best friend. But, that's why she has Phil now. He ties her together, I suppose. He remembers where she left her keys, pays the bills." I stopped talking, afraid that if I continued, I might not be able to stop.

I could see that we were already at Charlie's house. The rain was so heavy you could barely see it at all.

"How old are you, Bella?" Edward seemed frustrated for some reason I could not imagine.

I hesitantly responded, "Seventeen."

"You don't seem seventeen." His tone was reproachful, which made me laugh out loud.

At his confused expression I explained, "My mother always said that I was born thirty five years old and only getting older."

He smiled at that.

"You yourself don't seem like a junior in high school, you know." He laughed, but there seemed to be an edge to it.

"I should probably go inside. I'm sure your brothers and sisters wouldn't particularly enjoy standing in the rain." I said, but made no move to get out.

"Have a nice weekend, Bella. Try not to get run over or anything." He teased.

"Wait- aren't you going to school tomorrow?" I tried not to sound disappointed.

"Emmett and I are starting the weekend early. We're hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Ranier."

I nodded and opened the door. "Oh, and Bella?"

I turned around, not at all prepared for his sudden close proximity. My breath hitched as his fanned across my face. "I'm serious about not getting run over."

He smiled crookedly when I snapped. "I'll try my best." and slammed the car door shut.

Once inside, I soaked up the rain water that had gotten my clothes wet and started on dinner.

Friday morning, I still couldn't help but look for Edward. I saw his Volvo, but only three Cullens got out of it. I still wondered where the other Cullens went for lunch.

When I did my morning routine, however, I felt like I was being watched. I looked up but no one seemed to be staring at me. Just in case, though, I stopped and pulled out a book. I couldn't focus on the book, however, because the feeling came back.

I started to panic as I once again roamed my eyes over the parking lot and didn't find any one in particular staring at me like a creeper.

The feeling remained, even as Alice skipped over to me. She noticed my alert expression and immediately asked what was wrong. I looked at her frightened eyes and murmured, "We're being watched."

Her eyes widened and she jumped up beside me on the bed of my truck. "Who do you think would do that?"

"Whoever it is, they're pretty damn good because I can't find them." I was really starting to get scared now.

"Neither can I." She said softly, but I couldn't help but notice that she didn't actually scan the area but get a dazed look on her face.

We both jumped down when the bell rang, me with my natural klutziness and her with her effortless grace.

People stared, but we both ignored them. We eventually separated as I headed to building three and she to building four.

Once again, I found Angela at the table in the corner, but this time accompanied by Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

Apparently Angela wasn't expecting it either. We were sharing lunches again, so I didn't have to get in line.

I tried hard not to show my surprise at the extra guests at our able and instead opted for a cool demeanor.

I attempted to sound nonchalant as I asked, "So, Jasper, you're not going hiking with Emmett and Edward?"

Jasper cracked a wry smile as if there was an inside joke I was missing and replied, "I got my fill last weekend."

Angela started a conversation with Alice and Rosalie on what colors would look good with her skin while I awkwardly looked around, clearly not interested. Jasper noticed and smirked.

"Now you know how I feel. Imagine living twenty four hours with these two."

I gave him a sympathetic glance and patted him on the back. I could feel him tense under my touch and immediately took my hand back.

Finally the bell rang, and Jasper and I were released from fashion torture. Angela and I walked silently to Biology, lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking of all of the little quirks about the Cullens.

For example, their eyes. If they're adopted, how do they have the same color eyes? Down to the same exact shade….And what about my very first impression of them? Of course, I thought they were beautiful, but the fact that my instincts screamed for me to get away, seemed a little creepy. And at the accident, Edward acted like he saw what I had done…Like he had seen the ice melt and the small plants sprouting from the pavement. I'm almost 100% sure he saw my eyes flicker, also.

Who _wouldn't_ notice my eyes changing from a dark brown to a light blue?

I had to pause my thorough investigation as Angela and I made our way into Biology.

For dinner, Charlie ordered pizza so that I could take a day off. I decided to go training again, so I grabbed my jacket, cell phone, and headed out back.

This time, I searched for a different clearing, just in case the Cullens were in the last field that led to their mansion of a house.

I had to hike a little bit, but it was definitely worth it.

It looked to be a meadow, with wild flowers of all different colors scattered randomly everywhere and was surrounded by tall trees of all varieties.

I gasped at it's beauty as I inspected it closely. It seemed…perfect. I could really see myself coming here to just relax.

There were no signs of disturbance, which was good, it was a wide open space filled with luscious plant life, and I could even hear a nearby stream.

I dropped my jacket on the ground along with my cell phone and just reveled in the freedom of doing whatever I wanted to.

I grew the flowers up to seven feet tall then shrunk them back down to size, colored the leaves on the trees any color I wanted, and sat on a branch which I made swing me around. I levitated rocks and boulders and sculptured Edward's face into the side of it.

I didn't really want to just get rid of it, so instead I camouflaged it with flowers and bushes.

I headed home after an hour, not wanting Charlie to worry. I felt incredibly content after the last 'session'.

Charlie noticed my over cheerful mood, but didn't seem to want to ruin it by mentioning it, for which I was thankful. Lying about why I was happy definitely would've brought me down from my high.

I headed up to my room and quickly changed and lied down. I was slowly drifting into unconsciousness until I felt a presence outside my window. I tensed, but didn't do anything else.

A second later, my window opened and my eyes snapped shut as a familiar smell invaded my nostrils. After a mental argument in my head over what how to feel, I settled on angry and confrontational.

I tried to sense for water around my room and luck was on my side as I felt that there was a full glass on my bedside table.

Quick as lightning, I sat up, flung my arm out, twisted my fingers, and Edward Cullen was pinned to the wall by strips of ice that restrained his hands, feet and neck.

To say he was surprised, shocked, and totally caught off guard was an understatement. I sat there, smirking and struggling to keep him in place as he unsuccessfully tried to get out. Every time the ice on one of his restraints cracked, I flinched and immediately repaired the damage.

"What are you doing here, Edward? Don't you know that it's impolite to watch people sleep?" I asked in a deadly calm voice. I'm sure my eyes were once again bright blue, but this time with a bright fire under them revealing how angry I was.

Several times he opened his mouth as to say something, but instead tried to break free once more. With every second that passed by, I was getting weaker and he knew it.

After an hour, I was just about to give up when it started raining. I grinned broadly and at his extremely confused face, I used my other hand to pull the rain water towards me through the open window. Now that I looked, and felt, to be even stronger than before, Edward stopped resisting. Or it could've been because I added more reinforcements.

"Now tell me, why are you in my room?" I asked again in the same deadly calm manner. I had the satisfaction of watching him gulp nervously before answering.

**Sorry for the cliffie, but I couldn't help it! What do you think Edward's gonna say?**

**R&R by hitting that little button down there…**

**-Hang**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer-I own nothing Twilight, but if I did, Renesmee would not have existed. Sorry Nessie. Kinda.  
**

BPOV

"Can you please let me go first? This really isn't comfortable and I swear I'm not going to leave until you tell me to." Edward said, gesturing to his hands, feet, and neck with his eyes.

Narrowing my eyes, I slowly released him. Once free, he fell to the floor, rubbing his wrist and neck in relief. I felt stabs of guilt at how tight those probably were and immediately regretted the action.

I walked over to my window, stuck my head out for a good minute, then shut it. Edward was sitting in the rocking chair, patiently waiting for me to return.

"Explain. Now, please." I demanded softly but firmly.

Instead of doing what I asked him, he simply said, "Your eyes are normal again."

I raised my eyebrow in response. He sighed.

"Well…First let me ask you one question- What do you think I am?" he pronounced each word clearly, obviously anxious as to how I answer.

I thought about it for a moment. I never did get to finish my thought process earlier.

His skin was cold, that I was sure of. I purposely brushed across his arm one day in the hall, where the heater was working fine, only to find that his skin was ice cold. His eyes ranged from butterscotch, to pitch black. I could probably say the same for the rest of his family. Speaking of his family, they were all inhumanely beautiful and often go 'hiking' or 'camping'. They all move with an invisible grace, like they can't help it. And other than that time with the apple, I've only ever seen him and Alice pick at their food instead of eating it. With a sudden start, I realized that sometimes Edward talked like he was from another time... And they all had old names…

I couldn't put all the pieces together, but I definitely knew one thing.

"You're not human." I stated, still considering the possibilities of what he _could _be.

He nodded slowly, as if he didn't want to scare me. "You're not a _normal_ human."

I widened my eyes, staring at him in disbelief. How could he have come to that conclusion? "How-?" I spit out, completely shocked.

"Your scent…it isn't normal... It smells like damp earth, fresh cut grass, rain, flowing streams, even like a rainforest. I saw your eyes turn clear blue and then hazel one morning. And then again, at the accident with Tyler's van. And of course, just now when you attacked me with ice and then soaked up the rain."

"What do you mean my _scent_? And how could you have seen my eyes from such a far distance? I attacked you because you were trespassing, by the way." I was immensely curious as to what he meant by 'scent'. It was hard to imagine him as a dog sniffing through the air.

"…..It's a part of what I am. I can't tell you, you'll have to guess. My kind has laws, you know."

"Hmmm…An impossibly beautiful boy with gold eyes, cold pale skin, excellent vision who never eats..." He seemed mildly shocked at how much I knew about him, but that ended quickly as he stared at me as if it were obvious.

Honestly, I was coming up blank. I just couldn't think of-

Oh dear god. It couldn't be. Could it?

My friend Jake told me a story once about how the only enemies of their great wolf descendants who looked human, with pale, cold skin and blood red eyes, which they had gotten.

The Cold Ones. Strigoi. Undead. Nosferatu. Asasabonsam. Chiang-shih. Drakul. Lamia. Blood sucker.

"Vampire."

He was motionless, gauging my reaction most likely.

I was shocked, but not afraid. I felt that I could trust Edward, and I did, with my life. I gasped as I finally realized how Edward had gotten to me so fast at the accident.

"You're fast, aren't you? Super human strength, smell, and eye sight, too? It all makes sense now…" His reaction was _not_ what I expected, though.

He looked angered, infuriated, frustrated. His voice was calm, but I could definitely hear the ferociousness laced within.

"Don't you care about my diet?" I flinched a little, not expecting that question.

I knew right away that he couldn't drink human blood because of his eyes, and even if he did, the colored contact route didn't make sense.

"You don't eat-or, drink in this case- human blood." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

"That doesn't mean I'm not dangerous, Bella. I could kill you within a matter of seconds." He threatened. I wasn't afraid, though.

"And I can't? Need I remind you that I just restrained a _vampire _with _ice_?" I retorted. Clearly he couldn't have forgotten. "And that was only half of it. If you remember correctly, my eyes turned hazel, also. What is green and brown, Edward?"

Before he could answer, I manipulated a branch outside my window to extend inside, where I promptly sat on it as if it were a bench.

His mouth fell open and he choked out, "Water _and_ earth?" Slowly and carefully, he walked toward the branch and gently touched it. I made it extend another branch right in front of me for him to sit, and he jumped back so fast, I only saw a blur of white before he was across the room.

I was shocked, but I still gestured toward the second branch five feet in front of me for him to sit. He eyed it suspiciously and narrowed his eyes.

I rolled mine and grew some moss so that it looked more comfortable.

He grinned crookedly and cautiously sat down on it.

"How about we spend all day tomorrow asking questions? We could go somewhere secluded, private. I have this place where I go to pr-think. Relax." I hoped that Edward didn't notice my slip up. I really did want to show him the meadow, though.

"That sounds perfect. What time should I pick you up?"

I grinned evilly, already scheming of how to get there _my way_.

"Well…. It's in my backyard. In the woods. And it's a surprise." I explained. I hoped he would agree.

He looked at me suspiciously, but let it go. I yawned and hopped off my 'seat' with Edward doing the same, and I redirected it back to where it was. Edward looked truly fascinated by this and stared a little too long.

"Would you mind terribly if…if I told my family? It's hard to keep secrets in my house, but I wanted your permission first." He looked at me with so much hope, I really couldn't say no to him.

"As long as that's all you tell. I've worked hard to keep this a secret, not even my parents know." He grinned so wide, I couldn't help but smile back.

"I'll be here at ten in the morning, then." Before I could ask how he was going to get here, he leaned forward and the words got suck in my throat as I took in his intoxicating smell. "Sleep well, Bella." His breath fanned across my face as he whispered those three words.

And then he was gone.

He was thoughtful enough to leave the window open, for which I was grateful for. I would need as much energy I could get for tomorrow.

I went to sleep in a daze, dreaming about gold eyes and bronze hair.

When I woke up the next morning, it took me a minute to remember last night's events. When I did, however, I jumped five feet in the air.

I looked at the clock was relieved to find that it was only 8:30am. I quickly changed and went downstairs to find something to eat. Charlie had left a note stating that he was out fishing with Harry again.

When I was done, I downed a liter of water and headed upstairs to shower and change. In the end, I chose a black tunic with asymmetrical sleeves, skinny jeans, black ankle boots, and a ring that had a rose on a vine on it.

He may question the shoes, but he doesn't know how I travel through the forest, yet.

When I finished changing, I decided to leave my hair alone and leave it looking wavy. The doorbell rang just as I was about to put some chap stick on.

"Come in!" I knew I only had to say it as normal, but I knew it would feel incredibly strange, so instead I used a loud tone, but not one I would usually use to call downstairs. A second later there was a knock on my bedroom door.

I turned around to an ecstatic looking Edward. I grinned and excitedly asked, "You ready?"

He looked me up and down, but it didn't feel violating. He raised an eyebrow at my shoes and cautiously, he asked, "Are you sure those shoes are appropriate? I mean, if we're walking around in the woods all day like you said…"

I smirked and replied, "You haven't seen my way of travel yet, Edward. I am perfectly fine in these heels. Now let's go!"

He chuckled at my enthusiasm and happily obliged when I took his hand and dragged him downstairs and out the back door. Once we reached the edge of the woods, I dropped his hands and pretended not to see his brief look of disappointment.

I grinned evilly up at him and pointed at my feet, which were now securely attached to some roots sticking up out of the ground. His eyes widened comically as he took in the vine like things that wrapped around my feet all the way up to the middle of my calf. My feet were only off the ground by an inch at the most, so I wouldn't have to worry about balance.

"All I have to do is move the roots and then I simply glide." At the last word, I moved in a circle around him, leaving him speechless once again.

"Would you like to travel my way or your way? Either way, I'm pretty sure we'll make it there in no time."

He blinked a couple of times, but never took his eyes off of my legs.

I rolled my eyes and made the decision for him. "Relax and don't try to lift your feet or else you'll fall. Tell me when you feel too uncomfortable, kay?" Before he could respond, I grabbed his hand and wrapped roots around his legs, too.

Because he was taken by surprise, he shrieked a little at the sudden movement. It was a very manly shriek, though.

"Ready?"

He looked at me with an expression somewhere between scared, excited, shocked, and dazed, and nodded slowly.

I grinned and turned us so that we face the woods and slowly started moving us forward. I heard Edward sigh and looked over at him, only to find a bored expression. I narrowed my eyes and soon we were traveling at a speed so fast, the trees around us moved in a blur. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind in my face.

Edward was gripping my hand tightly, but when I looked over, his face could only be described as ecstatic. Until he furrowed his brows and, without turning toward me, asked, "How can you make sure that we don't trip?"

"Because roots in the ground can't go through other roots. I just direct them in the general direction and wait until I see one of the markings that I put on the trees, and, depending on the marking, go at a slower speed so that I won't miss my destination."

As I said so, we slowed down to a stop right in front of a carving I made in a tree. It looked like a 'P', but I knew that if you were to follow this route, you'd find a 'B' carved into another of the same tree, and then eventually, half an 'M', an 'M', and then an 'S' right before the opening to the meadow.

"We're almost halfway to the meadow, come on." I didn't realize that I'd told him where we were going as I quickly sped us up until we were going even faster than before.

In less than a minute, I spotted the 'S' and slowed us to a stop. Both of our breathing was ragged as we tried to catch our breath.

I released our feet from the roots keeping us upright, and because my vertigo was a little screwed, I lost my balance and fell forward, shutting my eyes waiting for the impact that I knew would hurt.

But it never came. Instead, I felt a pair of cold, stone arms wrap around my waist and a cold, sweet breath on my ear send a shiver down my spine.

I blushed and stood upright. I looked up at Edward from under my lashes and mumbled, "Thanks. Well, we're, uh, here."

Just in case, I 'rooted' my legs again and heard Edward chuckle. I looked up and noticed that he had seen my precautionary measure and grinned sheepishly before 'walking' to a bush that was the door into my sanctuary.

I walked through it and smiled as the familiar scents of the vibrant wildflowers filled my nose. Everything was just as I left it. I heard Edward walk through and gasp. I turned around and saw his wide eyes and large grin.

"What do you think?" I waved my arms around, gesturing at the scenery in front of us.

"It's just like I left it." He whispered.

Huh?

"What? What do you mean just like you left it?" I asked, clearly confused.

"I used to come here all the time, but we had to move away 60 years ago. I could never remember where exactly it was. Thank you for taking us here." He smiled down at me in such a way that, had I been actually standing, my knees would've given out.

"You're very welcome. Great minds think alike." I moved over to the center of the field, released my legs, and grew extra grass for me to lie down on. He quickly followed my lead, lying down on a patch of grass similar to mine right next to me.

I closed my eyes and relaxed.

It felt…right to be here with Edward. Like we had been doing it for years.

Today was warm, strange for Forks, but still overcast. The wind was blowing slightly and I could clearly hear the stream not so far away from here.

It was Edward who started the questions.

"How did you get your powers? Were you born with them, or did you achieve them somehow..?"

I sighed deeply. "I was born with my powers. I guess they're genetic or something, but that wouldn't really explain how both my parents are normal…My mother, Renee, has a new boyfriend who travels a lot for baseball. Next weekend, I'll be driving to Phoenix to take all of the sentimental items from our attic and storage to keep here. I think they're mostly journals of my ancestors and stuff, along with her old momentums and keepsakes. I plan to read as much of the journals as I can, and hide the other stuff so that Charlie isn't reminded of her too much. To be honest, I'm kind of excited to read these journals. There supposed to date back to the late 1800's." By the end of my speech, I was thrilled and Edward was intrigued.

"My turn." I sat up on my elbow and looked down at him. "What happens when you're in the sunlight?" I had been wondering about this the whole way here.

"Well, I don't burn up, if that's what you're thinking. Actually, it's very…unique. I'll have to show you sometime." He promised, but that still didn't answer my question, although it did clear up the burning theory.

"Do you think…that there are others like you?" I knew he was trying not to step on any of my toes or offend me in anyway.

"I have thought about it, yes. If it was a heredity thing, then most certainly. Unless….unless I was just born like this, then most likely not. Although, I'd rather not cross paths with anyone who was using their gift for the wrong reason."

We stared at each other in silence before I asked, "How many others are there of _you_?"

"There aren't as much as humans, but probably around 500,000. Most of us travel around the world, constantly moving. My family, we're rare. We're known for having such a large coven and one that drinks animal blood, at that." He shot a quick look at me, gauging my reaction. "We're considered strange. As far as Carlisle knows, there is only one other coven like us. They live in Alaska and always have. We visit them from time to time."

"Do you have any other questions about me? It's getting kind of dark and I have to make dinner for Charlie soon." You could clearly hear the disappointment in my voice.

"I think I'm good for now. Although, I'm sure Carlisle might have tons of questions…" He looked at me, hope gleaming in his topaz eyes.

I felt a smile slowly spread across my face as I registered what he was asking. "Edward Cullen, are you asking me to meet your family?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I-uh, it's just-T-they'd p-probably like to m-meet you. Y-you don't have to, o-of course, it's j-just…..Yes, I am." Watching him stutter like that, I decided that I would've jumped off a bridge if he asked me.

"When and what time?" I simply asked, watching Edward's face relax.

"How about Wednesday? I can drive you to our house after school…?" He proposed.

"How will I get to school? I don't feel particularly comfortable with leaving my truck in the school parking lot."

"I could drive you to school." He said, as if it were as easy as anything.

My heart fluttered in anticipation at Edward driving me to school. He smirked at me, and in return, I whacked him in the head with a flower.

I smiled in victory as Edward mock glared.

My smile disappeared as Edward stared deeply into my eyes, while I got lost in his ocher eyes. We subconsciously leaned toward one another.

Soon we were so close that I could taste his sweet breath and our noses were touching. He searched my eyes as if he were asking permission.

In response, I crashed my lips against his.

And then he was gone.

I sensed the ground around me and found him breathing heavily deep in the shadows. The only way I even knew he was there was that he was currently digging his fingers into the bark of a tree.

I sat there, shocked and completely taken off guard, but most of all, remorseful. I had attacked him and clearly he wasn't ready for that.

Unshed tears stung the back of my eyes, but I quickly evaporated them before they could slide down my cheeks.

Soon, Edward came back, his eyes guarded and his posture stiff. Once he saw me, his eyes softened infinitely. He sat down next to me, now relaxed with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Bella, I can smell the salt. I'm so sorry, please don't cry." He pleaded in the softest voice I had ever heard him use.

I looked down, ashamed. I should have known he would be able to smell it.

"I'm sorry I attacked you like that. I just…I only reacted, I didn't-"

He interrupted me by lifting my chin with his finger and firmly kissed my cheek with his cold lips. When he pulled back, I grinned, my cheeks burning.

"Thank you." I said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry I reacted like that. It's just…Humans are usually afraid of us, so they never get that close. When you did that, I just…panicked. Your scent was all around me and your _neck_-"He cut off abruptly as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Bella, please understand that I never intend to hurt you, which is why I have to be cautious. I need to be sure that I won't hurt you in any way. I would never be able to live with myself if you were in pain because of me." He looked at me with such an overwhelming need for me to understand.

I nodded, too choked up to really say anything. I looked up at the sky, trying to keep my tears at bay, when I noticed how it had streaks of various shades of pink and blue strewn everywhere.

Tears quickly forgotten, I looked toward the west and smiled at the horizon. Edward followed my line of sight and smiled with me.

"Twilight, again," he murmured. "Another ending. No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end."_ Edward, Twilight Pg 495_

"Another ending, another beginning. The day may have to end, but the night has yet to begun." I retorted. "In fact, I prefer the night. There's just something about it that makes it feel like it's the perfect place to be, with the stars and bright moon looking down at us. The dark, unending sky enveloping you in its confines. The brisk air that can chill you to the bone can also make you feel alert, ready to take on the world. The only sound in the air is the silence of slumber." My voice was soft as silk, already feeling the oncoming comfort that only the night could bring me.

I looked to Edward, only to find him looking at me with such awe and wonder, my cheeks flamed at the attention. He stared intensely at me. "You never cease to amaze me Isabella, Swan. Now, I think we should get you home, or else you'll have to do some explaining to Chief Swan."

I agreed and stood up, ready to take us to my house, when Edward gently grabbed my wrists, stopping me.

"How about we head back _my_ way?" Something told me that I should've said no, that I should've just compromised to meet him there, but that excited look on his face made me say yes. He grinned at me.

Warily I asked, "Are you going to turn into a bat?"

He roared with laughter. "Like I haven't heard _that_ before!"

"I'm just saying…The minute I see wings, I'm getting out of there..."

"Duly noted, now get on my back."

I didn't move and waited to see if he was kidding. Apparently he wasn't because he just shook his head, moved in front of me in a crouched position and backed up so that I would purposely fall on him. I wrapped my arms and legs around him just before I could have fallen.

I could practically _feel_ him smirk.

And then we were off.

I knew Edward was quick, but not this quick. We were going at a pace so fast, the trees blurred together in a mass of greens and browns. The air rushed past my ears, making it impossible to hear anything but the blood pumping in my ears. It felt like we were flying, the way Edward seemed to effortlessly glide at such a fast pace, dodging any and every obstacle in the way.

It was exhilarating.

I knew I could go faster by root, but I don't think Edward did, and I didn't plan on telling him anytime soon. In less than a minute, we were in my backyard again.

I was breathing heavily, trying to catch my breath while my vision was wavering and my stomach slowly churning. I shut my eyes in a futile attempt to stop the rush but it only emphasized the pounding of adrenaline in my ears.

"Bella?" Edward called, but I was too preoccupied to answer correctly. It sounded like he was breathing hard too, only there was a big smile on his face, by the sound of his voice. "You can get down now."

I managed to croak out, "I think I need help."

His chuckle reverberated throughout his entire body, thus through mine due to the current position we were in. He reached back and firmly grasped my forearms and slid me around to the front of his body, cradling me like he would a small child with my arms now around his neck.

I looked up at his golden eyes, seeking the comfort it normally gave me and found that they were searching my face for any sign of sickness or hysteria. Once satisfied, he smiled at me.

I tightened my grip on his neck and slowly slid my legs down his body to the ground. I could see that this affected him greatly as he wound his arms around my waist, for his eyes darkened and his lips pressed together.

We stood there, with my arms around his neck and his around my waist for a full minute before he looked up abruptly, breaking our eye contact.

"Charlie's down the street."

"Will you come to my room tonight? When he's asleep?" I asked with wide hopeful eyes. Then I looked down and, with blushing cheeks, muttered, "I…like to be around you."

I felt his hand move away from me a second before I felt a finger under my chin. "I _was_ planning on surprising you, but.." I smacked him playfully on the chest, careful not to bruise my fingers. "Of course. Now get in there before Charlie does. I'll see you tonight." With that, he kissed my forehead and untangled us. I felt his eyes on me as I glided up to the sliding glass doors that led into the house.

I managed to situate myself on the couch in a comfortable position and turn on the T.V just before Charlie walked through the door.

"Oh, hey dad. I didn't feel like cooking tonight, I hope you don't mind. I thought we could order pizza?"

"Sounds great, Bells. Did you do anything interesting today?"

I smirked and replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

_Except hanging out with a vampire in the middle of the woods._

**Sorry for the wait! My sister was visiting from Louisiana and I was busy with family bonding.**

**I promise from now on that I'll update every three-four days. Well, I already was with the first two chapters...but now it's official!**

**Soooo check out my profile and click that little button down there to tell me how I did!**

**-Hang  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Twilight. Or Edward. Sigh.  


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BPOV

After Charlie and I finished our pizza, I muttered good night and headed upstairs. Once in my room, I wondered when Edward would get here. I didn't bother looking around as I turned on the light and faced my closet. I grabbed a tank top and a pair of sweatpants to change into.

I started pulling my shirt over my head, but when it reached just above my belly button, I heard a very audible gasp from behind me.

My instinct kicked in and I whipped around, dangerously sharp pieces of ice attached to my fingers like fingernails and a thin, protective, clear strip of ice over my eyes.

Edward was sitting in the rocking chair in the far corner, eyes wide. I absorbed the ice pieces and looked down at my black shirts. I frowned as I took in the bottom 6 inches that were now shredded.

"That was one of my favorite shirts, too."

His gaze kept flickering to my now exposed midriff, but they always found their way back to my hands.

I excused myself and ran to the bathroom, cheeks flaming.

I hurriedly put on the tank top and sweatpants then ran a brush through my hair. When I walked back into my room, Edward was still sitting in the corner, except now he was examining the gardenia plant I had next to my window.

I started walking over to him, but my toe caught the edge of my rug and I flew forward. I shut my eyes and prepared for contact against the cold hard wood floor.

It never came.

Once again, Edward had caught me. His arms were wrapped around my waist and his face not two inches from mine. He smiled my favorite crooked smile at my clumsiness.

"When are you going to realize that I will _never_ let you fall?"

I smiled and made to get up, but Edward wouldn't have it.

He swung me up and carried me bridal style to my bed. He carefully laid me down, not once breaking eye contact. Once I was settled comfortably, he sat at the edge.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you that I was here. I didn't know you would start to change clothes…" He apologized. I knew he was guilty, but it didn't particularly matter to me. He barely saw anything, anyways.

"I'll forgive you if you buy me another shirt." I offered, easing the tension between us. Apparently it worked because he smiled at me and agreed. "So, how do you always manage to get in my room without my knowledge?"

"The window." He said it as if it were no big deal. I made a note to get locks.

"Of course. Do you..always do that? I mean, when I'm asleep?" I asked hesitantly. Sometimes when I woke up, it was colder than normal but I had always put it out of my head.

"I….I like to watch you sleep." He said slowly. I bit my lip, contemplating what he said. Did he hear me talk? What did I say? With a start, I realized that he would've seen the rain attracted to me.

"What did you see?" I was very anxious for his answer. If he knew all this time, why did he keep trying to get away from me?

"Interesting things. Some people get colds when they leave their window open. You get hydrated, am I correct?" I nodded, urging him to continue. He had a small smile on his lips as he said, "You talk in your sleep." At my wide eyes, he continued, "You miss your mom, you worry about Charlie. Once you even said 'It's still too _green _here'." He chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes at him, believing that he was leaving something out. "Did I say anything else?"

He looked away, but not before I saw his small crooked grin. "You mentioned my name."

Mortified, I covered my face with my pillow and groaned, "How often?"

He pulled away the pillow. "Please don't hide your face from me."

"Stop changing the subject. Now tell me how often I said your name."

"If I could dream, they'd all be about you, every night, you know. Nothing to be ashamed of."

I looked him in the eyes, feeling slightly vulnerable at the moment. "That much?"

His crooked grin shut me up.

He covered me with the quilt that was crumpled on the floor and kissed my forehead.

"Sleep, Bella. I'll be here when you wake up." He vowed. My eyes started to droop, but I wanted one last request before I fell asleep.

Wordlessly, I opened my arms and looked up at him. He looked genuinely surprised, but obediently lay down next to me with a small smile. I rested my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around my waist.

Edward started to hum an unfamiliar lullaby just as I closed my eyes and fell asleep to his even breathing.

When I woke up, I felt something cold around my waist and under my cheek.

My eyes popped open, only to find a very amused Edward looking down at me. I smiled at him, but then covered my mouth as quickly as I could. I shot up out of bed and went for the door. Just before I darted to the bathroom, I mumbled 'morning breath', hoping that Edward would understand.

Once I had fresh breath again, I took a proper look at myself in the mirror.

My hair was a haystack, so I tried to run a brush through it, but only succeeded in making it worse. I ended up tying it in a loose side ponytail. My brown eyes were unusually sparkling and wide and my cheeks were pleasantly flushed. I couldn't seem to stop smiling as I practically skipped into my room.

Edward saw my expression and smiled at me. He had moved to the rocking chair while I was in the bathroom. I couldn't have possibly refused him when he opened his arms, inviting me to sit on his lap.

We sat in silence, simply enjoying each others presence.

Until my stomach growled, that is.

He chuckled and kissed my temple. "Breakfast for the human, then?"

Before I could answer, he threw me over his shoulder and walked at a speed slightly faster than normal down the stairs, with me protesting uselessly the whole time.

He sat me in a chair before stepping back and grinning at my annoyed face.

"What would you like to eat?"

I stood up and grabbed the cereal from the pantry and the milk from the fridge, deciding to give him the silent treatment for as long as I could.

I ate in silence, trying to ignore Edward and his piercing gaze on me as he watched me eat from across the room. When I finished and put the dishes in the sink, I gave up and asked Edward what we were doing today.

He gave me a brilliant smile and answered, "We are going ice-skating."

I blinked at him, disbelief evident in my eyes.

"You're kidding." I accused. There was no way we were going ice skating.

"No, I am not. I am going to take you ice skating." He grinned at me.

I blinked again. His words finally set in after about thirty seconds and when they did, my reaction was probably not the one Edward was expecting.

I jumped up on him and wrapped my arms and legs around him, crushing him as hard as I could and squealed like a little girl.

Edward actually stumbled back from the sheer force of my sudden embrace and put his arms around me, presumably so that I wouldn't fall. His chuckle at my enthusiasm caused me to lift my head from where I was grinning in the crook of his neck and peppered kisses all over his face.

He full out laughed as I continued my circuit of chaste kisses along his cold face.

After about two more circuits, I heard the door open and Charlie walked in. Not wanting him to assume the worst, I jumped down and grinned at my dad's wide eyes and squeaked, "Edward's taking me ice skating! I have to change!" and promptly sprinted up the stairs.

I was so excited, my hands couldn't keep still. After five deep breaths, I was calm enough to pick out an outfit. I chose a tiered top with a rose print, skinny jeans, a grey knit scarf, a black slouch beanie to go on my tousled hair, and black and grey striped arm warmers. I skipped the makeup and hurriedly grabbed my black converse before heading downstairs two steps at a time.

When I walked into the living room to sit down and put my shoes on, Edward was on the love seat and Charlie on his old recliner. I plopped down next to Edward and untied my shoes.

"So, Bella, when were you going to tell me that you were dating Edward?" Charlie asked, amusement evident in his voice.

"Oh, it was pretty recent. I guess it just escaped my mind." I replied distractedly.

I felt eyes on me as I finished tying my left shoe and looked up. Edward seemed to be trying really hard to hide his smile, but I could still see his lips twitching. Charlie, however, barely tried to hide his grin as he stared at me in my haste to leave.

Innocently I asked, "What?"

"Bells, where's the fire?"

"Well, I've always wanted to go ice skating, so excuse me for being excited!" I pursed my lips playfully and resumed putting on my right shoe.

Once finished, I jumped up, grabbed Edwards hand and ran for the door, grabbing my black trench coat on the way. "Bye dad! See ya later!" I screamed. The last thing I heard before the door shut was his answering snort.

Edward laughed loudly, allowing me to drag him by hand until we reached the end of the driveway, where his shiny silver Volvo was parked in front of Charlie's police cruiser on the curb about fifteen feet away.

I threw my coat over my folded arms and bounced back and forth on my heels, waiting impatiently for Edward to unlock the car with his remote keys. He was purposely taking them out of his pocket at a sluggish pace, taunting me.

I decided to tease him back, so I swayed my way over to him until our bodies were pressed up against each other. He froze, narrowing his eyes at me as I looked up at him through my lashes. I knew my eyes were now a clear blue, but he couldn't see why.

I raised my hand, which now had the ice fingernails again and slowly ran my 'nail' down his right arm. His eyes darkened, but he didn't move. I dragged my nail down his stone cold arm, creating a high pitched screeching noise, until my hand was in his pocket. I grabbed his keys and pulled my hand out, absorbing the ice so that I didn't cut through anything and hit the unlock button.

Still looking at him from under my lashes, I pulled his left hand up and dropped the keys into the outstretched palm.

Then I ran for my life into the vehicle, laughing hysterically the whole way.

When I shut the door, Edward was already in the car, his darkened eyes staring at me in a mock glare. My laughter halted immediately. I could only imagine the plan stirring in his head of how to get back at me.

"You'll pay for that, Isabella." His husky voice contradicted his crooked grin. My heart rate increased tenfold and Edward, having heard it, leaned back and started the car, obviously pleased that he could elicit such a reaction from me.

I tried vainly to slow my heart beat as he inserted a blank CD. An unfamiliar composition filled the car, breaking the tense moment between us.

The melody sounded startlingly familiar, with its soft tones and light notes that slowly began to incorporate a darker, heavier edge to it. The final chords shifted into a melancholy key, and then the beautiful song ended with the last note hovering poignantly in the silence.

I turned in my seat to gape at him.

"You wrote that?" I asked disbelievingly. His eyes flickered to me, but not before I couldn't see the nervousness and insecurity in his topaz eyes. The next song started to play, but I quickly hit stop, wanting to hear his reply without any distractions.

"You were the inspiration for that. It's called Bella's Lullaby. Esme recorded it for me while I was playing. I wasn't aware she was doing so until she had two copies made, both of them in my room waiting for me after school. I told her she could keep the other one." He confessed. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I dabbed at them, embarrassed. Edward smiled softly and hit play.

The next song was light, clearly joyful. It had a certain quality in it that made it sound carefree.

"This is Esme's favorite. I wrote it for her when she was just transformed. She had wanted to play so bad, but didn't trust herself enough not to damage it. I wrote this as a sort of welcoming gift to the family. It's a composition of how I saw Carlisle and her fall in love. I didn't literally see it in my own eyes, but in Carlisle's. He came home one day from the hospital, smiling like there wasn't a care in the world. There was a certain sixteen year old woman Carlisle couldn't keep off his mind, who went by Esmeralda. She had broken her leg falling out of a tree and he was the one to operate and put it in a cast. Ten years later, she tried to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Amazingly, her heart was still beating when Carlisle came across her. He changed her right then and there. They've been together ever since."

The song drifted to a close.

I was speechless. It was clear in the way he spoke and on his face of how much love Edward carried for his parents.

I had a few questions, but now didn't seem the right moment to voice them. Edward had a nostalgic look in his eyes and a soft smile on his face. I looked out the window, only to see that he was only going ten miles above the speed limit. Normally, I wouldn't have even been able to separate one tree from another. I realized then that Edward didn't want to rush our time to talk together.

"Edward? Where exactly is this skating rink?" I asked in a soft voice.

He kept his eyes on the road and answered, "Seattle." His pause was brief. "Do you mind if I ask you a question, Bella?"

My excitement returned tenfold as I thought of the size it must've been for Edward to think that the one in Port Angeles wasn't adequate enough.

"Absolutely. Shoot."

"Is anything going to…happen..there?" I could hear the hesitation and burning curiosity in his voice. I was confused as to what he was talking about before it settled in.

"You mean with my powers?" He nodded slowly, most likely trying to avoid crossing a line. "Well, nothing really. Except, I won't be able to get weak and I won't have much of a problem with the cold. Same thing with swimming. If I'm surrounded by my element, temperature and energy levels won't matter."

He seemed incredibly excited by the fact, but didn't elaborate. "So you won't need the coat, arm warmers, scarf, or beanie?" I nodded. "Then, why wear them?"

"I need to at least _look_ normal. I thought you'd understand that? And, they're cute." I defended. I wouldn't be wearing my coat, but I was serious about my other accessories.

He smiled crookedly.

"I notice that you don't have any of these things?" I raised my eyebrow, knowing full well he wasn't looking at me head on, but doing it anyways.

"I have a scarf in the back and I'll be wearing my jacket."

I nodded and leaned back, closing my eyes. No matter how excited I was, I needed to relax. I was not going to let my over excitement ruin our first date.

In what felt like a minute, the car pulled to a stop. We were parked outside of a generic looking building with the words 'Highland Ice' stamped on it.

Before my seatbelt was even off, Edward had my door open, patiently waiting for me to get out. I rolled my eyes at how gentlemanly he was, but inside, I was swooning at how polite he was.

On the way inside, my hand twitched towards his, but I was too shy to initiate anything. Edward, seemingly reading my mind, gently grasped my hand in his and rubbed small circles on the back of my hand. I blushed and the ground suddenly seemed very interesting.

Edward paid for our skate rentals and admission fees, after much complaining on my part, and walked us through the double doors that led to the actual rink. Once I was hit with the chilled air, I visibly relaxed. My senses heightened as every fiber of my being soak up the frozen particles of water hanging in the air.

We moved to the little bleachers that were sheltered behind the plastic four-inch screens. I reached for my skates, only Edward beat me to it. He gingerly untied each shoe and slid my converses off my feet to place them under the bench. Taking my socked feet in his large hands, he carefully slipped on both of the used unlaced ice skates, then promptly double knotted the laces after making sure they weren't too loose or too tight around my toes.

Wordlessly, he stood up and held his hand out for me. I placed my hand in his and awkwardly fumbled on the carpet up to the open doorway and on the ice. Once again, my senses sharpened and I started to relax.

After we were both on the ice, I held gripped his arm like my life depended on it.

"Just slowly glide your feet forwards. I won't let you fall, I promise." His cold breath tickled my ear as he spoke quietly.

I followed his instructions, and soon I didn't even need to hold his hand anymore.

Not that I ever let go, of course.

We skated hand in hand around the rink probably three tines before Edward stopped us. I didn't see it coming and went flying backward, right into his chest. He stumbled back a little, but otherwise wasn't very surprised.

"Is there a reason you had the urge to stop all-"I was rudely interrupted by Edward spinning me around and crushing his lips to mine. His kiss was hungry, possessive and smug at he same time. Once he finally pulled away, we were both breathing hard.

"-of a sudden and then kiss me like…like.._that_?" I finished my statement, pulling on his arm, and since he was on skates, he had to oblige.

He grinned sheepishly at me, but I saw something in his eyes that I couldn't make out. I held his face in my hands and furrowed my brows, wondering what was wrong. His eyes were dark and his mouth was tight when I felt him clench his jaw.

"Edward?" I asked in a soft voice. I finally concluded he was upset, I just couldn't fathom why.

He stared at me for another moment before sighing and mumbling, "I…heard someone thinking inappropriately about you." Ashamed, he looked down.

I was shocked, playing his words over and over again in my head.

_Heard someone thinking_

"You…heard his thoughts? So, you can read minds." It wasn't a question, but a statement. My eyes widened as I ran through every thought that ever passed through my head. "Does-does that mean you've been reading my mind?"

Forgetting about the man with the inappropriate thoughts evidently, he gave me a frustrated look and replied, "No. For some strange reason, I can't hear a whisper from you. In all my years, this has never happened to me. It is actually quite annoying."

I stayed silent, considering the reasons he wasn't able to hear my thoughts when I came up with an idea. I grabbed Edward's hand and resumed skating.

"You really need to stop doing that." He seemed to be teasing me, but I wasn't sure.

Ignoring that comment, I held his hand and tried to skate faster. In response, he started skating faster to keep up with me. Once we were going at a speed that allowed us to just glide for a while before having to move our feet again, I ushered him in front of me, which meant that he would be skating backwards. I held both of his hands and shuffled forward until my feet were slightly in between his and my arms could comfortably wrap around his neck at a distance. He followed my lead and, with a smirk, wrapped his arms loosely around my waist.

"I saw this in a movie once and have always wanted to try this out. Will you start skating forward? I wouldn't be able to warn you if someone was behind you.." I demonstrated by dramatically trying to reach over his shoulder, to no avail. He chuckled and did as I asked. I had to lock my knees and keep my feet close together to avoid tripping or causing them to wobble. "I kinda like this. Correction, I _really_ like this." I grinned as we glided in synch on the ice. I could tell he was trying to make some sort of eye contact with anyone who was too close or wasn't paying enough attention around us so that we wouldn't crash into them.

"Do you trust me?" Edward asked. He had leaned closer so that his delicious breath fanned over my face. It took me a second to reply, so when I was silent at first, his grin was very amused when he repeated the question.

"Er- yes. With my life." His smile faltered a little, but his little slip was soon forgotten as he grabbed my left hand from around his neck and held it out to his right, causing me to, somehow, smoothly glide to his right side with my legs in an almost awkward position with my toes pointed outward. Before he pulled me in again, I got to notice how many people had moved closer to the edge and were watching us. I felt my cheeks burn while I wrapped my arms back around Edward's neck. After we moved a little more in intricate patterns and at least three more slightly difficult moves and spins later, my feet were getting really sore. I asked Edward if we could take a break and he agreed, pulling me alongside him towards the open doorway. Minor applause broke out as people resumed ice skating.

On the benches, we decided to head back home and get something for me to eat on the way. It was already around four o' clock in the evening, and once we got back, I would have to make Charlie dinner.

The way home was spent talking about Edward's family.

"So, can your whole family…read minds?" I inquired hesitantly. I didn't want to somehow offend him, even by accident.

He sighed and responded, "No, that's only me. Carlisle has a theory about that, actually. He says that our human traits are only intensified during the transformation. I was very sensitive to thoughts as a human and could easily guess a person's next move, thus causing me to acquire the ability to read minds as a vampire. Carlisle brought over his compassion and desire to help others. Esme her love and need to care for people as if they were her own children. Emmett brought his strength and inner kid. Rosalie….Well, Rosalie carried over her….pigheadedness and fierce loyalty." I sensed an underlying edge to his voice in the way Edward talked about his perfect sister. I would have to ask him about it later.

"I noticed that you haven't mentioned Alice or Jasper…"

"Their human life is…complicated. Alice can't remember anything about herself before she was changed. She woke only with a vision of finding Jasper, her name, and a vision of our family."

"So Alice can see the future." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

"Technically speaking, yes. Alice can only see the decisions that were made. If a person changes their mind, their future changes with it. Her visions are only subjective." He explained.

"What about Jasper then?"

"Jasper can feel and alter your emotions. His background, however, is something he should tell you himself, along with Rosalie's. I have no right to talk about them, since I've seen much more than I was supposed to."

I nodded as I took in the new information.

The car rolled to a stop in front of my house. Neither of us moved. The only sounds in the car were from our breathing.

I turned around to face him. Our eyes locked, burning gold to chocolate brown. Unconsciously, we started leaning into each other. With our noses practically touching and our mouths only an inch apart, he spoke. "I'll see you in your room once Charlie starts to sleep."

And ever so lightly, he brushed his lips against mine and exhaled softly.

I closed my eyes and breathed in eagerly, desperate to feel his cool air run through my lungs. The brief encounter between our lips was silent, but the action spoke volumes. A kiss was a universal sign of affection between two people, but a shared breath was so much more intimate.

I felt as if there was a piece of Edward in me.

* * *

**Weeellll? What did ya think? **

**I have all of Bella's outfits on my profile, so go check those out, and a clip from youtube of the moves I imagined Edward and Bella doing. I've been sick and I am very bad at romantic pieces, so I apologize for the huge delay. On the upside, I'm looking for a beta! Well, I don't know if you'd consider it a good thing, but…Anyways. If you'd like to beta read this story, not that I'm desperate (PLEASE) …Just PM me.**

**-Hang**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Twilight, but if I did, Edward wouldn't have so many boundaries.**

BPOV

"Are you ready?" Edward's excited question snapped me out of my daydreaming about how his whole family would think I'm too weird for him and then they'd leave forever.

Dramatic? I know.

Pathetic? I _know_.

I turned away from my closet to look at him. Edward was sitting on my bed, hair glistening and clothes spotted everywhere with moisture from the rain. Within seconds, he was dry again, my nerves slightly relieved from the small amount of water that was absorbed.

I raised my eyebrow and gestured to my tank and sweats, silently asking him if I looked ready. He chuckled and walked up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I gave him a morning peck on the lips and smiled up at him.

"I have to pick out the perfect outfit so that I can at least look the part. Now shoo, I have to ponder some more or else I'll run out of time and throw on something I'll regret later." I lightly pushed him away from me as I said the last sentence, dead serious.

I turned back around to the small room of shirts, sweaters, jackets, cardigans, and anything you could fit on the top person of a body strewn everywhere on the four racks that were there, pants, skirts, shorts, and jeans all laying carelessly on the ground, and any type of shoe, heel, or sandal you could imagine lining the walls. It looked like a huge mess, but honest to God, I knew where something was when I wanted to find it.

Edward, not leaving like I'd asked him to, simply hugged me from behind and rested his chin on the top of my head. He was tall enough.

"If my sister Alice ever saw your closet, she'd murder you in your sleep and then rearrange everything in color order." Somehow I didn't find that surprising. Something about her small form, spiky black hair, and endless amounts of grace and energy gave off a vibe of 'fashionista'.

I chuckled along with him, reveling in the feeling of his arms around my waist and how my body fit perfectly into his.

Eventually, I found my train of thought again and allowed myself to contemplate how to dress for meeting your vampire boyfriend's family for the first time.

That was certainly something I'd never thought I'd say.

A full four minutes passed before I came up with the perfect outfit. I darted out from Edward's arms and sprinted into my closet, much to Edward's dismay.

I dug out a grey tube top that had ruffles down the middle of the chest, a black cardigan, my comfy skinny jeans, and charcoal grey rose pumps. I smiled triumphantly at Edward, who just stared at me in mild shock before nodding in understanding and left through the window, but not before he said he'd be back at 4:00.

I looked at the clock and was relieved at the sight of the large red numbers that read 1:57pm. I had two whole hours to get ready.

Plugging in my Ipod to my stereo, I turned the volume up as loud as it could go and grabbed my fluffy robe along with my 'prepare' pack. It included razors, shaving cream, wax strips in all sizes, a pair of tweezers, moisturizer, my expensive shampoo and conditioner, my makeup kit, a nail filer, top coat nail polish, and teeth whitener.

Without this, I would've gone mad.

**Warning: This next part is all make over type of stuff.**

In the shower, I shaved anything I possibly could, lathered my hair in shampoo so much until it reached the middle of my forearms, conditioned my hair thoroughly, and washed my body three times.

Satisfied, I walked out, wrapping myself in a large sized towel. After I dried off, I moisturized everywhere I shaved, tweezed my eyebrows to perfection, filed my hands and feet before painting them with top coat twice, put in my tray of teeth whitener, and put my hair in rollers while it was damp.

While waiting for my teeth whitener, hair, and nails, I put on my makeup. I didn't want to over due it, so I simply brushed on a layer of mascara and quickly brushed on some powder.

I laid out my clothes on my bed and dug out my grey rose earrings from my jewelry box Renee had gotten me when I was 12.

The timer I set out dinged, telling me that I could remove the tray from my mouth. After brushing my teeth, I hesitantly touched my hair, unsure if it was dry or not. Just to be safe, I blew dry it on low heat for a minute. When I took out the rollers, my hair fell in tight curls down my back. I figured that it'd loosen up by the time Edward got here and started changing.

**It is officially normal now.**

Once I changed, I pinned back my bangs and ran my fingers through my hair. The stereo was still blasting music, so I turned it off and glanced at the clock-3:23pm.

Just enough time for me to cook Charlie dinner he can reheat later. I made my way down the stairs with my heels in hand. The fish I had laid out last night was thawed just enough for me to put it in the oven with some olive oil and lemon.

The oven timer sounded noisily throughout the kitchen, signaling that the food was ready. I jumped up from my spot on the couch and grabbed the oven mitts before pulling the now cooked fish out and setting it on the stove top.

As soon as I cut off a small portion for me and put it on a plate, I transferred the food over to a food container and let it cool before sealing it with a lid.

The doorbell rang just after I had put my dishes in the cabinet. I called over my shoulder, "It's open!" a second before two cold arms turned me around.

Edward stepped back, fully assessing my outfit before leaning in and firmly planted his lips against mine. Once we were done panting, I asked, "So, do I look decent?"

He pulled me against him and gazed deep into my eyes. "No. Yu are utterly indecent. Far too tempting-it's not fair."

"I can change…"

He shook his head. "You, Isabella Marie Swan, are absurd. You do not need to change. You look absolutely perfect."

My cheeks flamed at the compliment and I wrangled myself out of his grasp, heading to the bottom of the stairs where I had placed my grey rose heels.

Edward eyed them warily, most likely remembering the last time I had worn heels. "Are you sure you should be wearing those…?"

I rolled my eyes and confidently strode from one end of the room to another. Apparently satisfied, he opened the door, gesturing for me to walk in front of him. "Ladies first?"

I did as he asked, but when I stepped out onto the driveway, his Volvo was nowhere to be found. I turned my questioning look to Edward, who looked embarrassed. I swore, if he could blush, he'd be beet red by now.

Suddenly the ground was very interesting to him as he muttered almost inaudibly, "I was hoping we could go your way." He looked adorable when he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Maybe I could finally show him how fast I could _really _go.

Wordlessly, I grabbed his hand and proceeded to the side of the house, where no neighbors could see us. When we were safely in the confines of my backyard, I rooted our legs and warned Edward, who was wearing a face splitting grin, of the speed we would be going at. I squeezed his hand and shot us forward.

Edward loudly yelped in a pleasant surprise, as did I, when the trees blurred together and the wind against our faces became almost painful. I followed the path I did before the one that led me to the meadow. Originally, it had lead to a small clearing, but the last time I had been there, it was greatly disturbed. There had been another path, one that was made by claw marks on trees and rough skid marks on the grass. When I followed the path of destruction, it led me to the Cullen house. Really, it looked like a small mansion. The only way I even knew it belonged to the coven of vampires was the shiny silver Volvo that parked in the long, winding driveway.

Now, as the wind whipped furiously in our faces and the green and browns of the environment surrounding us blended together, I remembered what Edward had said about his father, Carlisle, when inviting me in the first place.

"_I'm sure Carlisle might have tons of questions…"_

If I was nervous before, I was positively panicked now. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize we were getting very close to the house until I abruptly jerked us to a stop. Edward stumbled a little, but I cried out in shock as I practically went flying. Before I could seriously injure myself or crash onto the Cullen house, I grabbed onto a branch that I had extended from somewhere to my left, and held on with both hands tightly. Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, where Edward was waiting for me. He hugged me tightly in his arms for a second before putting me at a distance so that he could look me over. When he saw that I was fine, he held my hand and started leading me up the driveway.

To my humiliation, everyone was already standing on the porch, looking like they just saw a ghost. Edward's siblings were all there, along with two more people who I presumed were his parents, Carlisle and Esme. The woman was beautiful, with a heart shaped face and caramel colored wavy hair. Carlisle was tall and had a long face with almost bleach blonde hair. They were a beautiful couple as they stood on the porch behind their kids with widened eyes and open mouths.

With every step closer to them, my face got redder. I was almost sweating by the time we reached them. Esme was the first to snap out of it, bless her, and she walked in front of us, smiling brilliantly.

"Hello, you must be Bella. I'm Edward's mother, Esme. It's wonderful to finally meet you."

I returned her smile, nerves forgotten and replied, "It's nice to meet you too." I could tell by her tense arms that she desperately wanted to hug me, but was restraining herself. Not wanting her to be saddened in any way, I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her. She immediately did the same, and hugged me tightly. Her grin was almost blinding as we pulled away.

I grabbed Edward's hand again, needing his reassurance. He started to rub small circles on the back of my hand while I greeted everybody.

Carlisle shook my other hand and said he was very excited to meet me. Anyone was able to see the questions in his eyes that I no doubt would be answering in a moment. Alice's greeting was…different. She pulled me into an awkward hug, since I refused to let go of her brother's hand, and said that we'd be best friends. Jasper stayed a safe distance away the whole time while Rosalie simply gave me a curt nod and stood stiffly to the side when Emmett proceeded to scoop me up in a hug so big, I couldn't breathe for a short moment. Seeing her significant other act in his usual childish ways did make her crack a small smile, though.

Once we were in the living room, the questions began.

"So, Bella, just so we're clear, you can…control and manipulate liquids and the earth?" Carlisle looked very anxious, but asked me with much hesitance in his voice.

I smiled reassuringly so that he wouldn't have to worry about offending me and answered, "Yes. I'm sure you saw my little…scene out there earlier."

"Well, once we heard your cry, we couldn't help but be a little alarmed." He said sheepishly. "I have a few questions, if you'd be willing to answer them for me? You don't have to answer all of them, I'm just naturally curious at such a wonder…"

"I'll try to answer any question that you have."

"Can you control the temperature of water when influencing it?"

With no hesitation, I replied, "Yes. I can freeze water and heat it up until it's boiling. I can even control it when it's vapor, hot or cold."

"Interesting. How exactly do you control it? Is there a specific way you see the water and earth, or do you have to speak to it?"

I thought about it, not entirely sure on how to put it in words. "Well, it's hard to describe it… I just…think about what I want it to do, and it does it. It's like I command it, only much nicer. When I do it, though, I almost always have to use my hands. I've never known why, it just came naturally for me to use my hands to guide it."

After a moment of silence, Carlisle said, "So you direct the water, not control it. You said it came naturally to you? You didn't have to look it up or have it explained to you or anything?" he inquired with obvious surprise. I guess I could understand, although I doubt there's a book on water manipulation out there.

"Yeah, pretty much. It started when I was born. When I lived with Renee, I used to have a liter of water in my room. My mom told me that I was always thirsty, constantly asking for water and only water. I was never breast fed. I never drank milk as a child. The first time I cried because I was thirsty, I refused to drink anything but water. When my mom tried to give me milk, I simply spit it out. So, that led to me having a liter of water in my room. Anyways, the water was never the same amount as it was the night before. Renee believed that I was drinking it every night before bed, but never thought more of it." I smirked at their confused expressions. "The only thing is, I never had a cup in my room."

"Wasn't your mother alarmed that her newborn refused to rink milk though? It's never been heard of that the infant not drink milk, no offense."

"Oh, she was absolutely panicked. I was her first and only child. Her mom died, and she was raised by her grandmother, who acted like she was a maid instead of a guardian. She contacted any and ever doctor she could within the first month I was born." I smiled wryly. "That was the start of my fame in the Phoenix Arizona hospital. Anyways, when every doctor we saw announced that I was in perfect health, Renee stopped and dealt with the fact that her daughter was special. She never found out how, though. To this day, I haven't told either of my parents." I confessed.

"Do you plan to tell them someday? They might like know this type of thing…." Carlisle suggested. I sighed. I had thought this through already.

"No. If something bad were to ever happen to me, I want them to have nothing to do with it. Ever heard of the saying 'Ignorance is bliss'?" I retorted.

He nodded, understanding that this was a bad topic for me and continued with the questioning. "Since you can control water, can you control other liquids as well?" He seemed to be not only curious to answer, but…desperate?

"You mean like blood?" I asked, bewildered. I had never thought of doing something like that. I've kept my tears back before, but by simply evaporating them before they could be seen. If I could control blood…"That would mean I could control humans." I felt the blood drain from my face. To be able to have that kind of power…I shuddered.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, but judging by your reaction, it's never crossed your mind?"

I shook my head and whispered, "No."

Edward started to rub small circles on my hip where his hand rested wrapped around my waist. I took a deep breath and politely requested, "Next question please."

Carlisle nodded, sensing my growing discomfort with the newfound discovery.

"Moving onto earth, can you make plants appear out of nowhere?"

To answer his question, I gestured at the coffee table and a beautiful blood red rose sprouted from the dark polished wood. Carlisle and Esme, who were seated directly across from Edward and me, started, definitely not expecting that. I smiled at them and removed all the thorns before picking it and holding it in my hand. I made it bloom, change colors to pink and then white, and finally, made it withered and dissolved.

"Cool!" Emmett's boom filled the room. I chuckled and raised my eyebrows at Carlisle, who took the hint.

"Well, that answers that. I honestly do not have any other questions involving the earth or plants. But, I do have questions concerning yourself." He took a breath and asked, "Why do you think your eyes change color?"

I figured that he'd notice, but didn't expect such a blunt question about it. " I honestly don't know. I didn't even realize that that happened until two years ago. I was brushing my teeth, and I wanted to clean the mirror, so when I noticed that my eyes were a bright blue, I stopped immediately, and then the blue disappeared. I grew a plany in my hands and saw hazel. From then on, I was even more careful not to do anything in front of anyone else."

"To be quite honest, I thought you'd know. I have absolutely no theory whatsoever, which is a first for me." He shot me a sheepish smile. "I can look into it in my free time if you'd like."

I nodded. His curiosity only intensified my own.

Esme interrupted his questioning and asked if I would like a glass of water. I agreed immediately. My energy was depleting fast, and I suddenly hoped that it wouldn't come off rude if I asked to get it directly from the kitchen sink, if it got that bad.

Once Esme came back, I expected a small glass, but instead she had brought a liter! My eyes and smile widened at the same time. I thanked her at least five times before taking the bottle and pouring it onto my hands, where it promptly disappeared. Everyone, even Edward, paid close attention.

"Bella, are you…absorbing that water?" I heard a voice ask, one that I hadn't heard before. It had a slight southern accent to it, and I looked up to find Jasper staring intently at me. I nodded.

"I could drink it, but this way is much faster. My lips would have just absorbed it the moment the water touched it anyways."

When I finished, Esme went to throw it away after I thanked her once again.

"Bella, what exactly happens to you if you don't get enough water into you body?" Carlisle asked.

I was waiting for him to ask this question, so I simply said, "I go mad."

Everyone but Edward cracked a smile at my exaggeration, but little did they know I wasn't. "No, really. I'll start twitching and then, if my body is that desperate, it'll start draining any and every living thing of it's water content until I'm stabilized enough to only feel discomfort. It's only happened once, and I wouldn't wish it on my enemy." I zoned out, remembering the awful memory and flinched. "I was twelve, still in Phoenix with Renee. She had just started seeing a guy, Thomas. She dated often, but was never in a serious relationship. Thomas was special to her, he made her feel special. Her best friend was having a bridal shower, only it was in Florida. She trusted Thomas enough to watch me and the house. The only problem, however, was that Thomas had a history of anger management issues." I heard Edward let loose a low growl, so I leaned back into him. "It was my fault, really. I had stayed over a friend's house, but Thomas didn't receive the message that I left on the answering machine at home. When I got home that afternoon, he grounded me. I was to stay in my room until tomorrow morning. I couldn't leave even to shower. He made sure the door was locked, I still don't know how he did it, but he made sure that I couldn't get out, and he had locked the window from the outside. I was stuck in my room. It was Friday, so I was supposed to refill my water that night, like I always did. Except, I couldn't. At first it was only a normal thirst, a small discomfort in the back of your throat. But it quickly grew from that. Soon, my entire throat felt as if it were on fire. An hour later, I was convulsing, my body felt as if it were burning from the inside out." From this point, I had to evaporate my tears as they sprung to my eyes. I knew that everyone in the room could smell it, but it was for my own benefit, so that I wasn't a blubbering mess. "Eventually, the pain was too much. I blacked out. When I woke up, I only felt a mild burn throughout my body. To say I was confused was an understatement. I looked around my room and saw why. My small plants that I had on my windowsill were completely fried. I had absorbed their water. I didn't know what else to do, since those were the only living things in my room, other than me. I looked at the clock to see what time it was, to see how much longer I had to endure the burning. It was already 8:00 am, but there weren't any noises in the house. Then I remembered that Thomas worked from 5-12. I was so angry, that the thirst was forgotten quickly. I could only see red. I walked up to the door and used water that I had to extract from myself to freeze the locks and whatever was behind the door blocking it. I kicked the door as hard as I could and when it opened with little difficulty, I ran to the kitchen and left the sink on for about an hour, simply standing there absorbing it. Renee found out about it when I refilled the jug in my room every two nights, and immediately dumped him. Haven't heard of him since."

I finished my story, looking carefully at each family member's faces. Carlisle looked depressed, Alice was looking at the floor, Jasper was looking at me with sympathetic eyes, Esme appeared as if she were about to cry, Emmett was cracking his knuckles, while Rosalie and Edward's facial expressions were the most shocking. Rosalie looked downright vicious while Edward had a carefully composed mask that showed no emotion, but I could tell from his tense posture and clenched fists that he was ready to kill someone.

Hesitantly, I grabbed Edward's face in my hands, much like I did when we went ice skating and looked right into his eyes. Edward could mask his face, but his eyes would tell me the truth about how he was feeling.

They were pitch black.

I knew he was angry at Thomas, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Edward, _listen to me_." I ordered. I would not let him do anything stupid in my account. "That was _five or 6 years ago_." I made sure to put emphasis on just how long it's been.

"That means nothing to a vampire. We count years like you count days, Bella." He muttered darkly. No matter what he said, I made sure not to show any kind of fear on my face. He may be my boyfriend, but he was always a vampire first.

And I would be an Elementalist.

If he thinks he'll get away with hurting me, not only would I fight back, but the more he hurts me, the more he'll only regret it later.

"There is no need for you to do anything you'll regret later. Don't go looking for him, Edward. He's not worth it." He stared sharply at me, and I knew what was going to happen next.

I tried to grab his hand to pull him outside, but when he didn't budge I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't make me do this, Edward." I warned.

He raised his eyebrow at me, challenging me. I ground my teeth together.

"And now I'm doing it."

Before he could even react, I stared hard at him and put the ice restraints on him again. There were gasps from around the room, but I ignored them as I stalked over to the door and threw it open, allowing the 3 inch thick vines to come into the room. I had one hand pointed in Edward's general direction and the other moving the vines toward him. As the vines wrapped around his arms and legs, I got rid of the now useless restraints and tugged and pulled at the vines to make him move. Once he was on his feet, whether from me or him I didn't know, I got rid of the vines.

I stomped my way out the door and to the left of the driveway, on solid soil where I could reach earth if I needed to. I knew Edward would follow me, whether he wanted to or not, because he finally understood that I meant business.

I turned around just as Edward stopped at the edge of the driveway. His eyes were still black and his jaw was still clenched. We stared hard at each other until he finally spoke.

"I wouldn't regret it Bella. Not one second of it. That bastard needs to suffer."

I was really getting mad now.

"No, he doesn't. He's an innocent human who just made the wrong choice, FIVE YEARS AGO." I felt that if I screamed the amount of time that had passed, he'd finally understand the words.

He scoffed, "Innocent? He caused you to have to suffer the exact same symptoms of CHANGING INTO A VAMPIRE, BELLA." He may have been screaming, but I wasn't scared.

I understood now. Rosalie doesn't want other people to have to suffer the pain, and Edward didn't want _me _to. I sighed and sat down on a stump I produced.

"Edward, please understand that you will only regret it later. I suffered from extreme thirst, okay? He wasn't even aware that I needed water that much. He is gone from my life, and gone from Renee's. Trust me when I promise you that I will never have to experience that level of pain ever again? I'm older now, I can last longer. I'm smarter now, I can get out of sticky situations when need be. But, most of all, it was _my_ past, not yours." I said in a calmly manner.

Slowly, I moved towards him and turned the stump into a wooden bench for him to sit next to me. He sat down and sighed heavily. I gently lifted my finger and turned his face towards mine. Softly, I pressed my lips against his and kissed chastely before pulling back and looking into his eyes.

They weren't a black anymore, but they weren't the lightest I had seen them.

"Your eyes…they're darker than I've ever seen them. Why?"

He took my hands from his face and gently intertwined them with mine in his lap.

"They get darker with time. It means I have to go hunt soon. I'll probably go with-" he paused, hearing whoever's thoughts for a minute before resuming, "Emmett this weekend."

That reminded me. "Oh! I planned on driving to Phoenix this weekend, to go get my mother's ancestors' journals! I was wondering if you wanted to-" I was interrupted by Edward copying my actions by lifting my chin and chastely kissing me. "-accompany me?"

He chuckled at how I finished talking, despite his efforts to shut me up. "I'd love to. I'll just go hunting tomorrow during lunch. When did you plan to leave?"

"Tomorrow night. That way we'll have at least made it into Oregon by Friday morning." I had already asked Charlie, and he said he'll think about it and tell me tonight at dinner.

He nodded in agreement, and I decided to head home. As much as I wanted to stay, I needed to get home in time to make Charlie's favorite dinner tonight-lasagna.

After I said my goodbyes, and an especially long one where I apologized profusely to Esme, who had really been frightened by Edward and my fighting, I rooted Edward and I and shot us off into the forest behind his house.

**Well? I'd say it's impressive that I upload TWO chapters within almost EXACTLY 24 hours! I posted chapter 4 yesterday at precisely 11:36 pm EST, and now it is…11:37 pm EST. Please check out my profile for any links on outfits and MY POLL! Please check it out, it is very important because I have no idea where to have the Fork's Prom. Well, don't forget to review!**

**-Hang**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I own nothing of Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. But steal my plot or characters and you shall face my wrath. So, it's a good thing I haven't introduced any. Yet. ;)**

**BPOV**

Edward somehow convinced me over the next 24 hours to let him drive the whole way and back in his Volvo. Although he didn't have to do much. After a stern glare from Charlie, ten gallons of water, a boatload of fruit for the trip, and a small bag of emergency necessities, Edward and I were on our way to Phoenix.

I brought with me my favorite classics so that I wouldn't get too bored, much to Edward's annoyance. Whenever I even touched the books, he shot me a look that said 'I have no idea why you read those, but I'm too chivalrous to question your taste in books' and just continued driving at his insane speed. Because of his mind reading and senses, he easily roamed the streets at full speed, undetected.

It's been about a full day, and according to the environment and Edward's knowledge of distance, we were approximately in the middle of Nevada. I had three more books to go through, although I'm positive those won't be touched once I get my hands on those ancient journals.

When I was little, my mother Renee gave me a necklace. She said it had been passed down to the youngest daughter in her family for as long as record showed. Since I was an only child, it was inevitable that I receive it. It was very old, but looked like it dated late 1800's at the most. It was a small vial-like glass with a clear band wrapped around it and a leaf charm attached.

The necklace was filled with pristine looking water that occasionally glowed blue, although I had no idea why, and was, fortunately, long enough that I could easily hide it underneath my shirts.

Edward hasn't seen it yet, even though I'm positive he has seen the string. The gentlemanly side of him most likely keeps him from asking me about it.

"Bella, if you don't mind my asking…" Speaking of... "What is so special about these journals that you have to drive across the country for instead of having them shipped?"

Well that wasn't what I expected.

I blinked and gathered my thoughts as I remembered what my mom told me when I first inherited the necklace. I subconsciously pulled out my necklace and started to fidget with it, a habit I developed when I was little

"My mother gave me this necklace when I was very young. She said it was really special and that it had been in the family for so long, some relatives believed it was a myth, or a legend. It was always passed down to the youngest daughter of the family. Her grandmother told her that if it was used properly, it could open the journals of her ancestors." I glanced over at Edward. "You see, the journals have a lock on it, one that can't even be pried open. Each and every one of them are the exact same, only they have small gold lettering on the bottom to differentiate them. They would have been burned, but the estimated cost of one book alone is around 6,000 dollars.

What was written, only my grandmother knew after her own mother had passed away. Renee begged and pleaded, but Nana Rachelle kept the secret to the grave. Renee gave the necklace to me only because she had nothing else to do with it, and didn't want to stop the tradition, but to this day, she still believes that it's useless." I looked down at the vial and slowly put it back underneath my shirt. "I refuse to put those books in the care of ignorant people who would just throw them in a cardboard box, slap it with some tape and charge me $75 dollars for every package."

Edward was chuckled at my obvious hatred of box men. After that, he was silent for a minute, probably thinking over what I just said. Smirking, I looked at him expectantly. Surely he knew what I was getting at.

Finally, he widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "So, you think that these journals are locked for a reason." He said matter-of-factly.

"To be precise, I think that the journals can only be opened with the necklace because they're full of my ancestor's experiences with controlling water. Like a journal of the gifted or something." I explained slowly.

Looking over at him again, a part of me was eager to hear what he had to say, while another part of me was scared that he wouldn't believe me and call me naive.

I wasn't disappointed by what I saw on his face. Although he wasn't looking at me directly, I could see that the corners of his mouth had slightly turned up. Confident that he wouldn't call me absurd, I moved his hand from the steering wheel and placed it in mine across the console. He smiled softly and started to rub small circles on the back of my hand.

I didn't need to see his eyes to know that he was impressed with how I came to the conclusion that I did. It was in the way his hand would occasionally squeeze mine for no apparent reason as he continued to drive at an insane speed, slowing down every once in a while, probably due to near-by cops.

Exhausted, I leaned my head on the window and closed my eyes to the sound of my lullaby and barely registered that the car had stopped.

When I awoke, I was in the back seat, curled into fetal position with a pillow under my head and a thick afghan over me.

I sat up and stretched before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. At my feet, there was a gallon of water that practically called to me. Quickly, I took the cap off and greedily accepted the water as it replenished my body and warded off the slight burn in my throat.

I heard a chuckle and saw that Edward had seen the whole ordeal in the rearview mirror. Scowling, I covered it with water before freezing it so that no reflection could be found whatsoever.

"Hey! I need that to drive you know!" Edward protested.

I rolled my eyes and retorted, "Edward, you and I know for a fact that you could drive a monster truck blindfolded and wouldn't hurt an ant."

"See, that's where you're wrong." I relented and cleared up the ice, raising my eyebrows now that he could see me. "I positively hate ants."

I laughed and climbed into the front seat, ignoring Edward's protests. I was petite enough to do it effortlessly and without damage.

The scenery was familiar now, with its arid barren land, few greenery, and constant dry heat. We pulled up to the storage garage ten minutes later while I was digging in my bag for the key. Once I found it, I hopped out of the car, eager to get to the journals, when I realized that Edward wasn't behind me.

I turned around and looked at Edward questioningly.

His eyes were pouring with a silent apology as he gestured upward with his hands. I looked up and immediately regretted it as the sun almost blinded me. Then it hit me. _The sun!_

I ran over to his side of the car while he rolled down the window.

"What happens if you go out into the sun, Edward?" I was mildly concerned that the myths were true and he would burn painfully.

"It's not what you think Bella, I assure you. I do not burn in the sunlight, or smoke, or get injured in any way."

Well, that answered that.

"Then…what happens?" I asked curiously. If it didn't harm him, why can't he come out into the sunlight with me?

"It's not something I can really put into words." He looked at me pleadingly.

I sighed, "I can tell you're not ready to show me just yet. Just know that whatever happens to you in the sunlight…" I leaned in close so that our noses were touching. "won't matter to me."

"Really?" Edward replied dubiously, with a voice so soft I could barely hear it from a breath away.

I hummed. Without saying a word, I pressed a chaste kiss against his lips and practically skipped towards the appropriate storage garage. It was one of the front ones, so I never had to leave Edward's sight. Once I unlocked it, I put all of my effort into yanking the door upwards.

Ignoring Edward's chuckle, I pulled out the small flashlight from my pocket and peered in, coughing from the amount of dust that was settled. There were piles upon piles of boxes scattered around the room. Furrowing my brows in determination, I marched inside and proceeded to bend down every so often to check the labels on the boxes.

Ten minutes in, I gave up.

Sweaty and sticky, I walked over to the car and peered into Edward's window, which was rolled down.

His eyes told me that he was extremely amused, though his mouth was set in a straight line. "Yes, love?"

I pouted like a child and fluttered my eyelashes. "Edward, I can't find them…Would you please help me?"

He reluctantly dragged his eyes up from my lips and smiled sadly. "I would love to, but I don't think you should see me in the sun under these conditions."

I rolled my eyes and started to twirl my hair on my finger, biting my lip and looking at Edward through my eyelashes. He swallowed nervously, clearly in a dilemma.

I smirked internally.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of his cell phone broke his trance. I curiously glanced at it, wondering who it was, but Edward had flipped it open already.

"Hello, Alice." Well. I heard a high pitched voice on the other end and figured that she saw this coming. Edward sighed gratefully and exchanged goodbyes with his sister before snapping his phone shut.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

In return, he beamed at me and looked up just as a large cloud passed by, effectively blocking the sunlight for the time being. I grinned victoriously and stepped back, where Edward moved vampire speed towards the garage.

By the time I had reached the storage room, about six boxes were placed closer to the door, which told me that Edward had found the journals for me. Deciding that I would be more of a hindrance than help, I sat down on a box and closed my eyes, breathing in the dry air that I had missed so much.

Forks was always wet and rainy so the air back there was always as humid as a steam room. Although it was horrible for my hair, it had also happened to grow on me. But, coming back to visit Phoenix had made me realize how the two homes differed so much.

In Phoenix, everything was hot to the touch and dry as bone and the stars were only visible through a telescope due to the constant city lights, and the moon always felt so far away. However, in Forks, everything was wet, soggy and cold. And no matter if the sky was cloudy or not, the stars were always visible, bright and shining, along with the moon that was so big the streets were practically illuminated in the night.

"What are you thinking about in there?" Edward placed a delicate kiss on my temple. I felt him take a seat beside me.

With no hesitation, I replied, "I was thinking about how here, at night, the sky is so dark and gloomy without the stars. Even the moon seemed to be shying away from the city, seeming farther away than it should've been." I opened my eyes and looked at his eyes, burning with gold. "But, in Forks, the stars are always present, as if they wait for you in the sky, gleaming. The moon is bigger, brighter somehow, like it prefers the wet and cold."

A minute passed by between the two of us while we gazed at each other's eyes. His were pure depths of gold, constantly seeming to swirl as if he was always piecing things together or unlocking mysteries about the world.

He could've been, for all I knew.

I saw compassion there, along with wisdom a seventeen year old shouldn't have, even though I knew he was much older. There was reasoning and loyalty there too. And, if I looked _real_ closely, I could even make out _tiny_ flecks of green around his pupil.

Slowly, I realized that we were leaning towards one another until finally, our lips made the briefest of contact.

And then a loud nasal voice interrupted us.

"Hey! What are you kids doin here?"

I jumped back from Edward, startled and embarrassed to be found in such a situation. Edward, however, didn't move an inch. Instead, he glared at the man, clearly mad at the disruption. He looked to be about 40 years old, with a balding head, a scruffy beard, a beer belly, and dark brown leathery skin with deep wrinkles.

Basically, he was scary.

Edward must have sensed my fear because, immediately, he wrapped his arm around my waist protectively. "Excuse me, sir, but we're almost done here." I couldn't help but notice how there was a slight edge to his tone. Not that I was complaining.

The scary man glanced at the half a dozen boxes lined up in the open garage and scoffed before walking away, obviously doubting the amount of time we'd be finished in. I shuddered and got up to start putting the boxes in the car.

By the time I had placed a single box in the trunk, Edward had already put the rest of them in, locked the storage room, and started the car, his compositions playing softly.

I rolled my eyes and moved to sit in the passenger seat. After stopping by a local diner so that I could get some proper food in me, Edward and I were on our way back to Forks.

I was in the middle of Wuthering Heights when I noticed Edward glancing worriedly at me every few minutes.

"What is it, Edward?" I asked.

"Bella, what about your journals? I thought you wanted to read them as soon as you got them."

Blinking, I looked up at him. "Huh. I haven't even thought of them since we stopped to get food…" I frowned and furrowed my brows. Something didn't feel right. I remember being so excited on the way here to read them, but now I felt like they were just something that I would eventually get done. Like a chore that was assigned a month before it would be needed done, I was in no rush to read them.

"Edward, do you think I should read them?"

He sighed and turned to me, carefully glancing back at the road every now and then. "Honestly, Bella? I do. There could be incredibly valuable information in there. But you know that I completely trust in whatever you choose to do."

I thought about it carefully. I've been asking questions about this 'gift' for a long time. These journals were the only things that could have any sort of answers. And yet, I didn't feel…prepared enough.

"I think I'm gonna try. Will you pull over really quick, please?"

Edward complied without question, sensing the worry in my voice.

The car had pulled to a stop for a good minute, but I didn't make any move to leave the car. I felt Edward wrap his cold hand around mine and gently squeeze. Finally, I took a breath and headed towards the trunk.

"Bella?" Edward asked. He had stopped the car and followed me as soon as I opened the trunk.

Suddenly, I realized. "I'm not ready."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side.

"What's going on in there, love? What do you mean, you're not ready?" He playfully tapped my head.

"I-I feel like, I'm not _meant _to open them yet." I frowned at him. It was true. Looking at the journals, I felt like something, or some_one, _just didn't want me to know the truth about myself.

Yet.

"Would you like to elaborate?"

I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his silent chest.

"It's like… if Alice kept a secret from you, because she knew it would be better if you didn't know. Like it wasn't the right time. Only, I don't know exactly who doesn't want me to know, you know?"

His chest vibrated as he chuckled at my attempt of an explanation.

"I think I understand, love." He tilted my chin up with his finger so that I was looking into his eyes. "But as soon as you know when that right time is, tell me. I'll be there for you every step of the way." He leaned down and gently pressed his icy lips against mine. Before it could get very far, though, he pulled away and smiled crookedly at me as I breathed a little heavier than usual.

"I love that sound."

I raised my eyebrow at him, thoroughly surprised. He liked the sound of my heavy breathing? Well, that was a come on if I ever heard one.

"No! Not that!" I feigned a hurt look and started to pull away. This was too easy. "Not that I wouldn't, Bella! Oh god- your _heartbeat_! I meant I like the sound of your _heartbeat_, love!"

I pecked him on the lips.

"I know."

Snickering at his shocked face, I closed the trunk and headed for the passenger seat.

"You're going to regret that, Isabella Swan."

I gulped as Edward muttered those words in a voice so sultry, it should have been illegal.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. I slept most of the time, which made me worry that I was boring Edward, but he disagreed, saying that he was content with whether I was asleep or not, which triggered my concern of what he was doing while I was unconscious.

We made it back home late Saturday night, where Edward carried my sleeping form into my bedroom, somehow without waking Charlie up.

When I woke up the next morning, Edward was right next to me, on top of the covers so that I wouldn't freeze to death. I laid still for a moment to fully wake up.

Once my thoughts were together, I turned to Edward, who had been awfully quiet.

"Hi." My voice cracked from the lack of use. That was when I noticed that my throat wasn't burning in the least. Looking at the window, I saw that it was cracked. I raised my eyebrow at Edward, who diverted his eyes from me.

"I, uh, left it open for you."

"Because you were concerned for me or because you wanted to see my sponge powers in action?"

"I'm always concerned for you, Bella. Never doubt that." He whispered, brushing his finger across my cheek. He pulled away. "But it was quite fascinating watching all the rain dive into you," he grinned sheepishly at me.

Eventually, we made our way downstairs, where Charlie had left a note explaining he was out fishing again. I grabbed something to eat for breakfast and leaned back against the counter.

"Spend the day with me and my family," Edward abruptly requested. My eyes snapped up to his from across the table. My hand froze in front of my mouth, Pop-tart in its grasp.

"Right now? What would we do?" I asked, picking up my plate and placing it in the sink. _Why did I even get a plate in the first part? It's a _Pop-Tart. I walked past Edward and made way for the loveseat in the living room. As soon as I sat down, Edward was right beside me, lifting me by my waist and placing me across his lap.

"How about I let you experience a typical day in the Cullen household?" He inquired as he smiled my favorite crooked smile.

Sighing dramatically, I rolled my eyes and responded, "As long as I don't have to drink Bambi... Now excuse me as I go get dressed."

Half an hour later, I was dressed in a long sleeved shirt, dark jeans and a leather jacket on top and I had a book bag over my shoulder with a two-liter bottle full of water, some dirt, and the first journal in it. Edward and I ended up standing in my backyard facing the woods.

"Did you wanna go my way or your way, or what..?" I asked Edward.

"I like your way." He murmured, staring at the ground abashedly.

I smirked.

"You know, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. I think it's more fun anyways." I lifted his chin to face me and leaned in to press my lips against his.

He grinned and grabbed onto my hand. I laughed and rooted our feet before shooting us off in the direction of the Cullen mansion.

This time my landing was much better, although it still sent me flying. Instead of using a tree to assist me down though, I gathered water from nearby puddles and used it to cushion my fall. Once I was safely on the ground, all the Cullens were on the porch watching with rapt interest. I dispelled the water back to where it came from.

Casually, I moved Edward so that he was standing next to me, took hold of his hand, and walked up to the porch and faced the six shocked faces

"How's it going?"

The Cullens stood there for a good minute before I cleared my throat, breaking them out of their trance. Or was it trances? I shook my head and followed them into the house, chuckling to myself.

"What's so funny?" I felt Edward's cold lips brush by my cheek as he caught up to me at a human pace. Forcing myself to ignore the warmth in the pit of my stomach at how close we were and how his voice gave me goosebumps, I grinned cheekily.

"Nothing, just my inner musings."

"Care to share?"

"Nope, not really." I didn't need him to think I was insane.

"Please?" I would've laughed at how he pouted like a child if his family hadn't all turned around to stare at us as if we had just grown three heads.

"What?" I looked at Alice quizzically. Couldn't two people joke around nowadays?

In my peripheral vision I could've sworn Edward rolled his eyes.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, it's just… Edward doesn't normally joke around often." I guess not.

"Often? Man, I haven't seen this prude crack a joke since Jazz lost a bet and had to swing from a vine wearing a scrap of cloth around his- Ow!" Esme cut him off with a slap to the back of the head. "..waist! See, I can be polite around guests…"

We all rolled our eyes, except for Jasper, who was scowling at the memory.

"I joke around with you guys…" Edward defended.

"Name _one_ time within the last month, then." Rose raised her eyebrow. She, and a sulking Emmett, had moved to the couch beside Alice, who had Jasper at her feet. Esme and Carlisle were on the sectional watching our banter. Edward and I were on the love seat, my feet folded under me and his arm around my shoulders.

"I teased Alice for her love of clothing approximately 13 days ago." He sat back satisfied that he could come up with an answer.

I laughed, hiding my face in Edwards shoulder, not being able to help myself. I felt so relaxed here, so carefree. I didn't know all about their lives, but I didn't need to. I felt like I'd known them my whole life. The best part is, my biggest secret was in the open here, and theirs was too. I wasn't exactly afraid of them either; I trusted them not to slip up. Besides, I proved that I could handle myself when Edward and I had argued the other day.

_Edward_.

Even his _name_ made me smile. I didn't know where we were heading, but I did know what it meant when my heart beat faster, it was hard to breathe, and there was a tingle in the pit of my stomach whenever he was around, whether he was talking to me or not. I knew that when he smiled, the left side was slightly lower than the right, that his eyes had specks of green in them, and that whenever he lied, his nostrils flared the tiniest bit. I knew his family was full of love and care for each other and that they accepted us being together. I knew I was happy.

I doubted I was in love with him quite yet, but I was absolutely certain that I was getting there. 

* * *

**(Gonna be a long one.)**

**(tee hee, that's what she said.)**

**Scream, bitch, CAPS at me allllll you'd like. I definitely deserve it. In fact, I encourage it! Please! It shows me that you actually wanna read this story of mine, haha! But, um, yeah. Sup? Haven't seen ya'll in about.. two years. And for that I feel like sheeeeeet. I really do. I just didn't have that same motivation that I did when I started this story :/ BUUUUTTTTT recently, soup4mepapi left a review and a PM telling me she's been waiting for me to update for TWO WHOLE FREAKING YEARS. I knew I had to bust my ass after that. So, she's who y'all should be thanking! So, go. Now. Go PM her and say thanks. **

**Hopefully I'll be able to really get this story rolling from now on.**

**-Hang**


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